UPDATE: Drone strike kills a senior PMF leader in Iraq, Iraqi State TV says also Iranian general(!)

[Dennis Donovan]

Last edited Thu Jan 2, 2020, 09:13 PM - Edit history (2)

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Liz Sly ✔ @LizSly

News of a big new escalation at Baghdad airport tonight. Two incidents:
1) three Katyusha rockets exploded.
2) A drone strike killed a top Shiite militia leader, the PMF head of protocol Mohammed Ridha, "with his guests."
(Who were his guests??)

It is possible the drone strike was initially mistaken for Katyushas. The Iraqi army reported three Katyusha rockets exploded. Then the PMF said that Mohammed Ridha had been assassinated in a drone strike. Were there two incidents, or one?

The bigger news is that the drone strike has killed a very senior PMF official who was escorting some "guests" away from Baghdad airport (at night). Who were they? Who did the drone strike?

CTS sources tell us there were Katyushas and a drone strike. Let’s see.

6:52 PM - Jan 2, 2020

Update:

Link to tweet

Liz Sly ✔ @LizSly

PMF (Shiite militia command) have just issued a statement denying the rumors that Abu Mahdi Mohandis died in the drone strike against PMF vehicles at Baghdad airport tonight. Other rumors not denied yet.

7:03 PM - Jan 2, 2020

UPDATE:

Link to tweet

Nafiseh Kohnavard ✔@nafisehkBBC

Sources at the #Baghdad international airport tell me that "the main targets were #PMF leader Abu Mahdi Mohandis & #Iran's Qassem Soleimani as they were at the airport tonight"
They weren't sure if these two got in the convoy or not.#Iraq
Can't still confirm it 100%

7:51 PM - Jan 2, 2020

Link to tweet

Liz Sly ✔@LizSly

Iraqi state TV is reporting the "martyrdom" of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Mohandis on the Baghdad airport road.


8:06 PM - Jan 2, 2020

[irisblue]

1. She is s WaPo writer.

[gratuitous]

2. Were they Katyushas? A drone strike? Why didn't Trump stop them?

Does this have anything to do with something crazy that (picks name out of hat*) Rick Wiles said recently?

*Could have been Jim Bakker, Franklin Graham, or any of a host of other names.

[11cents]

3. If it was a drone strike, it was a US drone.

The "protesters" who stormed the US embassy were pro-Iranian Shiite militiamen. So the drone strike would be payback for the attack on the embassy, which was payback for US airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia, which was payback for shelling attacks on US bases by Iranian-backed militia.

[dewsgirl]

4. I'm seeing several rumors it was U.S. backed. Also unconfirmed

BBC reporter stated, possibly Qasem Soleimani Iran's Major General, may have been a target.

[Dennis Donovan]

5. Seeing the same thing on twitter - Iran's Revolutionary Guard is visiting the PMF commanders in Iraq

If so, it means the US tried to assassinate an Iranian general. That's pretty fucking serious!

Looking for better sources now...

[dewsgirl]

6. This is huge and will have unbelievable consequences.😳

[Dennis Donovan]

7. More: "Things in Iraq seem to be spinning into a whole new dangerous level this evening"

Link to tweet

Ilan Goldenberg ✔ @ilangoldenberg

Things in Iraq seem to be spinning into a whole new dangerous level this evening. The Trump administration may be taking us to bathe brink of a major new proxy war with Iran in Iraq without any congressional authorization.

Nafiseh Kohnavard ✔ @nafisehkBBC

#Breaking #Update

5 members of Hashd AlShaabi were killed tonight as their car was hit by a rocket. They were traveling from #Iran to #Iraq. Unconfirmed reports say that the rocket was fired from a #US chopper (Can't confirm it yet)

6:53 PM - Jan 2, 2020

[stevil]

8. This is serious stuff

Especially is this was an attempt to assassinate Soleimani.

[Dennis Donovan]

10. Iraqi State TV says he was killed as well

Link to tweet

This is gonna go downhill fast. Just imagine if Iran assassinated a US general - the US would hit them back hard...

[stevil]

11. I know....

Agree about the downhill fast part, and it should be daylight in the middle east in just a little bit. I'm planning to follow this into the wee hours over here on the West Coast. Thanks for starting this thread.

[Dennis Donovan]

9. More from Liz Sly: "likely that Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis was indeed killed in the drone strike tonight"

Link to tweet

Liz Sly ✔ @LizSly

It's starting to look more and more likely that Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis was indeed killed in the drone strike tonight at Baghdad airport. 3 PMF sources confirm. He's a long time nemesis of the US, a close ally of Tehran. The rumors about Qassim Soleimani are still not confirmed.

7:58 PM - Jan 2, 2020

[stevil]

12. Strikes against two targets linked to Iran: U.S. officials

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Strikes have been carried out against two targets linked to Iran in Baghdad on Thursday, U.S. officials told Reuters."

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-security-usa-strike/strikes-against-two-targets-linked-to-iran-u-s-officials-idUSKBN1Z201Q?il=0

[WhiskeyGrinder]

13. This is a fucking mess.

[Maru Kitteh]

14. I hope this doesn't escalate, but to say I have a "sinking feeling"

would be an understatement.