Iran’s Soleimani & Iraq’s Muhandis Killed in US Air Strike

Baghdad: Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed today in an air strike on their convoy at Baghdad airport, an Iraqi militia spokesman told newsmen.

“The American and Israeli enemy is responsible for killing the mujahideen Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qassem Soleimani,” said Ahmed al-Assadi, a spokesman for Iraq`s Popular Mobilisation Forces umbrella grouping of Iran-backed militias.

Strikes had been carried out against two targets linked to Iran in Baghdad yesterday, U.S. officials told newsmen. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined to give any further details.

Iraqi paramilitary groups said today that three rockets hit Baghdad International Airport, killing five members of Iraqi paramilitary groups and two “guests.”

The rockets landed near the air cargo terminal, burning two vehicles, killing and injuring several people. Soleimani, who has led the foreign arm of the Revolutionary Guards and has had a key role in fighting in Syria and Iraq, acquired celebrity status at home and abroad.

He was instrumental in the spread of Iranian influence in the Middle East, which the United States and Tehran`s regional foes Saudi Arabia and Israel have struggled to keep in check.