Washington: Pentagon on Thursday confirmed that a “defensive action” at the “direction” of President Donald Trump to protect US personnel abroad by killing the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, General Qassim Soleimani.
Pentagon released a statement saying that the strikes were aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans.
“At the direction of the President, the U.S. military has taken decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad by killing Qassim Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force,” the statement read.
“General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members and the wounding of thousands more,” the statement said.
“He had orchestrated attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over the last several months- including the attack on December 27th- culminating in the death and wounding of additional American and Iraqi personnel. General Soleimani also approved the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that took place this week,” it added.
