FOLLOWING THE TARGETED KILLING OF Gen. Qassem Soleimani and the military response by Iran three days later, things are deceptively quiet in West Asia. After a barrage of Iranian missiles hit the two United States military bases in Iraq, U.S. President Donald Trump reacted immediately by tweeting that Iran had “decided to step down” and that there were no U.S. military casualties.
But now, the Pentagon has admitted that 11 of its troops suffered concussion injuries and had to be taken to hospitals in Kuwait and Germany for treatment. The injuries happened despite sufficient warning of an imminent Iranian missile attack. It was true that Iran wanted to keep U.S. military casualties to a minimum while sending the message that it had the wherewithal to successfully target U.S. bases and installations in the region.
Satellite pictures show that Iran’s targeting of the Ain al Asad airbase was precise. The strike damaged or destroyed seven buildings, of which three were aircraft maintenance hangars. The missiles hit only the portion of the base occupied by the Americans, leaving the area occupied by the Iraqi Army untouched. The 1,500 U.S. soldiers at the base were safely ensconced in bunkers as they were notified two hours in advance of the missile attacks. It was a message to the Trump administration that a war with Iran would not be a cakewalk.
Meanwhile, Trump has been busy backtracking on his claims that Soleimani was planning an “imminent” attack on U.S. targets in the region. His latest claim is that the killing of the Iranian military hero was justified because of his “horrible past”. Trump added that Soleimani had said many disparaging things about him and his administration. Now Trump is saying that it “really did not matter whether Soleimani posed an imminent threat” or not.
This story is from the February 14, 2020 edition of FRONTLINE.
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This story is from the February 14, 2020 edition of FRONTLINE.
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