Trump cites plot to 'blow up' U.S. embassy as element in decision to kill Soleimani

Trump cites plot to
# 10 January 2020 08:18 (UTC +04:00)

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani shortly after he landed in Iraq last week in part because “they were looking to blow up our embassy,” APA rpeorts quoting Reuters

The United States saw some of the repercussions from its strike on Wednesday, when Iran fired 16 missiles at bases in Iraq that host U.S. forces - an attack that the Pentagon believes was designed to inflict casualties but which killed and injured no one.

“We caught a total monster and we took him out and that should have happened a long time ago. We did it because they were looking to blow up our embassy,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Trump said the United States also carried out the strike because of a rocket attack on a U.S. military base in Iraq by an Iran-backed militia in December that killed a U.S. contractor, which U.S. officials believe Soleimani had a role in orchestrating.

That was followed by violent protests by supporters of Iran-backed militia outside of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. Trump said Soleimani had wanted those protests to become more violent.

“That was a totally organized plot. And you know who organized it. That man right now is not around any longer. Okay? And he had more than that particular embassy in mind,” he said.

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