The Pentagon said the US military killed Qassem Suleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds force, in Baghdad at the direction of Trump. The defense department said Suleimani “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region”. However, she added, Trump’s “reckless move escalates the situation with Iran and increases the likelihood of more deaths and new Middle East conflict”. Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg warned of the “immediate and very real dangers to American citizens in and out of uniform in the Middle East”. “This was a pre-emptive defensive strike that planned to take out the organizer of attacks yet to come.

Source: The Guardian January 03, 2020 12:45 UTC