Thread: Iran-backed militia leader reported dead after drone strike at Baghdad airport

STARS AND STRIPES

Iran-backed militia leader reported dead after strike at Baghdad airport

• IRAQ MINISTRY OF DEFENCE/FACEBOOK"

In this photo from social media, a burning car is shown after a rocket attack on the Baghdad International Airport on Jan. 3, 2020.

By CHAD GARLAND | STARS AND STRIPES
Published: January 2, 2020

An early-morning strike hit the Baghdad International Airport perimeter, near the air cargo terminal, the Iraqi government said Friday.

The attack, which set two cars ablaze, apparently occurred at about 1 a.m. Social media users posted hearing the explosions, then the sounds of military aircraft.

The Iraqi defense ministry’s security information cell confirmed the strike about 45 minutes later, posting photos of the burning vehicles on its Facebook page and attributing the damage to a rocket attack.

Later, the Iraqi government reported the two vehicles were actually hit by a drone strike, killing Mohammed Redha, a senior member of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units — an umbrella group that includes Iran-backed Shiite militias with close ties to Iran and other militias that have fought the Islamic State group since 2014. Other PMU members and “guests” were also killed, the PMU said.

The U.S.-led coalition did not immediately respond to an inquiry on the matter. The reported strike occurred hours after Defense Secretary Mark Esper urged Iran and its proxies to end malign behavior in the region, where tensions between Washington and Tehran have been rising since May.

“We will not accept continued attacks against our personnel and forces in the region,” Esper said in a statement on Thursday. “Attacks against us will be met with responses in the time, manner, and place of our choosing.”

The Pentagon has blamed a PMU militia called Kataeb Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization strongly linked with Iran, for a series of rocket strikes targeting bases housing U.S. troops throughout the country. As of Saturday, there had been 11 such rocket attacks since October — including two on an installation located next to the Baghdad airport in early December.

Those attacks wounded several Iraqi troops, prompting U.S. officials to call on Iraq to do more to prevent them and warning of decisive action if such attacks continued.

Last Friday, a rocket strike on the K1 base in Kirkuk left an American civilian contractor dead, and six service members wounded — four Americans and two Iraqis.

After that deadly attack, the U.S. launched a series of airstrikes on Sunday targeting bases in Iraq and Syria used by Kataeb Hezbollah.

Esper also ordered a contingent of some 750 infantry troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division deployed to the Middle East in response to the increased threat in the region, adding to about 14,000 sent since last summer. More would be on standby to deploy in the coming days, he said.

https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-...rport-1.613351

• BREAKING NEWS
• Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warns of ‘harsh retaliation’
  
  Iran's supreme leader responded early Friday to the U.S. military strike that killed the country’s top general, Qassem Soleimani. He told state TV that a “harsh retaliation is waiting” for the U.S. before calling for three days of public mourning.
  Click here for more.
• For more news, please go to FoxNews.com and watch Fox News Channel.

New York, Los Angeles increase security after U.S. airstrike ...
https://www.foxnews.com › world › new-york-los-angeles-preparing-for-pot...

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said late Thursday he'd spoken with top NYPD officials about immediate steps the department could take to protect key areas ...

Mark Krikorian



@MarkSKrikorian


This may not be the "only thing", but it's definitely worthy of concern -- if Iran has used our student visa program to embed sleeper agents, we may soon find out.

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Tim Donnelly



@PatriotNotPol


The only thing that concerns me about #Iran is all those Iranian student visa holders we have all over the U. S., although the Trump administration has been more diligent than the previous. https://latimes.com/cali

Ben Shapiro



@benshapiro



The flavor: revenge. It was a dish best served cold.

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CNN Politics



@CNNPolitics


President Trump dined on ice cream as news of the airstrike broke https://cnn.it/2SPsJKZ

Another Drone Strike On Pro-Iran Convoy Reported North Of Baghdad

• BREAKING NEWS
• Trump says US has targeted '52 Iranian sites' if Iran retaliates after Soleimani killing
  
  President Trump issued a stern warning to Iran Saturday through a series of tweets to deter the country from retaliating after the U.S.-ordered airstrike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani Thursday.
  Click here for more.
• For more news, please go to FoxNews.com and watch Fox News Channel.

Missile attacks target US forces in Iraq; Iran suspected

Time for Iraq, UAE, Saudi, Jordan, Kuwait to step up to the plate and put their skin in the game.

Along with USA, Israel, Europe, Canada, we all have a lot to lose.

We are not the damn worlds police anymore or their piggy bank!

SHUT IRAN DOWN NOW!!!

ALL OF YOU, GET IT DONE!

NO MORE GAMES!