US long watched Soleimani, but feared risks of a strike

In 2007, US commandos watched as a convoy carrying a powerful Iranian military leader made its way to northern Iraq.

It was a prime opportunity to take out Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who had been accused of aiding Shiite forces that killed thousands of American troops in Iraq. But ultimately, military leaders passed on a strike, deferring to deep concerns about the potential fallout of such a provocative attack.

“To avoid a firefight, and the contentious politics that would follow, I decided that we should monitor the caravan, not strike immediately,” retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal wrote last year in Foreign Policy.

Fears about the repercussions and reverberations of a targeted killing of Soleimani persisted throughout the administrations of President George W. Bush, a Republican, and President Barack Obama, a Democrat, according to officials who served under both. Soleimani, they calculated, was just as dangerous dead and martyred as he was alive and plotting against Americans.

That approach came to an end this week when President Donald Trump authorized an airstrike against Soleimani. He was killed after his plane landed at the Baghdad airport.

Trump heralded the attack on Twitter, declaring that Soleimani “should have been taken out many years ago!”

But some former administration officials argued that despite Soleimani’s role in orchestrating deadly attacks on US troops, Trump’s decision may ultimately put Americans in the region at heightened risk.

 

US long watched Soleimani, but feared risks of a strike

In 2007, US commandos watched as a convoy carrying a powerful Iranian military leader made its way to northern Iraq. It was a prime opportunity to take out Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who had been accused of aiding Shiite forces that killed thousands of American troops in Iraq. But ultimately, military leaders passed on a strike, deferring to deep concerns about the potential fallout of such a provocative attack. To avoid a firefight, and the contentious politics that would follow, I decided that we should monitor the caravan, not strike immediately, retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal wrote last year in Foreign Policy. Fears about the repercussions and reverberations of a targeted killing of Soleimani persisted throughout the administrations of President George W. Bush, a Republican, and President Barack Obama, a Democrat, according to officials who served under both. Soleimani, they calculated, was just as dangerous dead and martyred as he was alive and plotting against Americans. That approach came to an end this week when President Donald Trump authorized an airstrike against Soleimani. He was killed after his plane landed at the Baghdad airport. Trump heralded the attack on Twitter, declaring that Soleimani should have been taken out many years ago! But some former administration officials argued that despite Soleimanis role in orchestrating deadly attacks on US troops, Trumps decision may ultimately put Americans in the region at heightened risk.