In case you have been hiding in a cave (kind of like Saddam Hussein back in the day), the US has vaporized Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani, one of the world’s most evil dudes.
So, just who is this top Iranian general the U.S. just eliminated?
For many of us who watch and analyze news out of the Middle East daily, he was the world’s number one bad guy.
Qassim Soleimani has been in control of Iran’s Quds Force for more than 20 years. His current greatest hits include helping Bashar al Assad slaughter hundreds of thousands of his own people in the Syrian civil war, stoking the Houthis in Yemen’s civil war, and overseeing the killing of hundreds of Iraqi protesters recently demonstrating against Iranian influence in their country.
But most importantly for Americans, Soleimani was behind the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers during the Iraq War. Last year, the U.S. State Department put the number of Americans killed by Iranian proxies in Iraq at 608 since 2003.
The killing of Soleimani doesn’t have the emotional power of the takedown of Osama bin Laden, and he wasn’t even as well-known to Americans as ISIS founder Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. But in many ways, taking him out means much more in terms of saving current lives. Remember that bin Laden and al Baghdadi were mostly out of business and in hiding at the time of their deaths. Solemani was busier than ever, directing mayhem all over the Middle East and beyond.
For example, these last few days have made it clear to the whole world just how much Iran controlled just about all of Iraq and Iraq’s Shia population. It appears Solemeini not only felt justified in being the likely mastermind behind Tuesday’s attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, he also was comfortable enough to travel to Iraq personally to oversee it. But this time, he got too comfortable.
—
Soleimani clearly came to personify the increasingly unpopular spending on proxy wars and terrorism. With Iran’s economy faltering, the chanting in the streets during that nation’s recent protests included: “no money, no gas, screw Palestine.” That was probably the best proof that the Iranian people are keenly aware of the resources being sent abroad that could be used to improve the domestic economy and not pay for rockets in Gaza or wars in Syria and Yemen.
In fact, Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad tweeted almost immediately after Soleimani’s death was reported that the Quds commander was also hated by ordinary Iranians for his long history of brutality against his own people. That includes a bloody crackdown on university students in Iran in the 1990s:
—
For now, Soleimani’s death is justice for the thousands of deaths he caused all over the world and to his own people. It may have seemed like swift justice Friday morning, but it was actually a long time coming.
But try telling that to the usual scum and villainy, who are livid over Soleimani’s killing.
Like the Electronic Intifada’s Ali “Abumination” Abunimah, who even called for Iran to develop nuclear weapons in response.
George Galloway predictably blamed you-know-who
As did fellow anti-Zionist-not-antisemite Max Blumenthal
While Code Pinkers Ariel Gold and Medea Benjamin continue to show their ignorance and moral depravity, painting this arch terrorist as revered and beloved by millions of Iranians, which is patently false.
Make no mistake about it: the world is less dark after this murderer’s removal from it, and those who are sad about it are on the wrong side of history…and morality.
Meanwhile, this is one of the best reactions to his death I have seen
https://twitter.com/Qasam_Soleimani/status/1212986363043291136
.
