US kills Iran's General Soleimani

[Minusorange]

This thread is a great read;

There's really no positive outcome for Trump with that though, he either sits on intel waiting for an attack, or pre-emptively takes out the suspected organisers to stop the attack before it begins

Either way people will moan at him for either not being competent to stop the attack or the situation we have now, and if he allows attack to happen, then he still has to respond militarily which would provoke Iran anyway and end result will still be what we have now

I don't really like Trump but his job isn't easy as there's no right choice to make in situations like this damned if you do, damned if you don't

 

[doodah]

Not surprising, and ultimately whatever, this isn't important. The important news is whether Iraq pushes the US out and whether Iran's revenge is a big showpiece or just more of the same.

Can they even do this? I know it's their sovereign country but I would imagine the US would make it a decision they would deeply regret.

 

[coltpython3]

 

[StriderX]

Can they even do this? I know it's their sovereign country but I would imagine the US would make it a decision they would deeply regret.

If Iraq asks the US to leave and they don't... then it's just fuel for Muqtada and his allies, it's the occupation all over again basically in their eyes. There's not enough forces in the ME to just roll Iraq over to defend those forces in time, especially in it's splintered state, might as well airdrop coffins instead. Air/drone strikes are also just fuel, if they can't get at soldiers, they'll find civilians instead.

Then again for Iran, there's probably a benefit in keeping the US stationed there.

 

[martin363]

Well, now though Dubai, and Home in Vietnam. In Dubai wouldn't have known anything had happened.

 

[Jono8]

There's really no positive outcome for Trump with that though, he either sits on intel waiting for an attack, or pre-emptively takes out the suspected organisers to stop the attack before it begins

Either way people will moan at him for either not being competent to stop the attack or the situation we have now, and if he allows attack to happen, then he still has to respond militarily which would provoke Iran anyway and end result will still be what we have now

I don't really like Trump but his job isn't easy as there's no right choice to make in situations like this damned if you do, damned if you don't

Maybe Trump shouldnt have escalated tensions tenfold by pulling out of the Nuclear agreement then.

Trump is in charge, and the tensions have escalated under his watch, and due to his foreign policy.

I agree with you that when faced with preempting an attack and doing nothing, it is a difficult position for any leader to be in, but Trump deserves to be moaned at. This is, in part, due to his foreign policy blunders.

 

[Rroff]

If Iraq asks the US to leave and they don't... then it's just fuel for Muqtada and his allies, it's the occupation all over again basically in their eyes. There's not enough forces in the ME to just roll Iraq over to defend those forces in time, especially in it's splintered state, might as well airdrop coffins instead. Air/drone strikes are also just fuel, if they can't get at soldiers, they'll find civilians instead.

Then again for Iran, there's probably a benefit in keeping the US stationed there.

Last few days they've pushed a lot of stuff into that area - additional 3.5K airborne with more to come, heavy armour, redirected an amphibious ready group and moving around carrier support, etc. they are well aware of and prepared against the possibility.

 

[StriderX]

Last few days they've pushed a lot of stuff into that area - additional 3.5K airborne with more to come, heavy armour, redirected an amphibious ready group and moving around carrier support, etc. they are well aware of and prepared against the possibility.

Not anywhere close to the pre-Iraq build up. Though in the scenario that Iraqi tensions are high and the stationed troops there are at risk, it's likely enough, nobody is doing occupations anymore after the pointlessness of Afghanistan and Iraq.

But it's just needlessly risking folks lives if they don't follow through with what the Iraqi parliament decides, even if it basically cedes Iraq to Iranian influence.

 

[banbom44]

If Iraq asks the US to leave and they don't... then it's just fuel for Muqtada and his allies, it's the occupation all over again basically in their eyes. There's not enough forces in the ME to just roll Iraq over to defend those forces in time, especially in it's splintered state, might as well airdrop coffins instead. Air/drone strikes are also just fuel, if they can't get at soldiers, they'll find civilians instead.

Then again for Iran, there's probably a benefit in keeping the US stationed there.

In reality can the Iraqi's even make the Americans leave when they were conquered in 2003 and history shows when the Americans get a base somewhere they never leave.

 

[cheesyboy]

There's really no positive outcome for Trump with that though, he either sits on intel waiting for an attack, or pre-emptively takes out the suspected organisers to stop the attack before it begins

Either way people will moan at him for either not being competent to stop the attack or the situation we have now, and if he allows attack to happen, then he still has to respond militarily which would provoke Iran anyway and end result will still be what we have now

I don't really like Trump but his job isn't easy as there's no right choice to make in situations like this damned if you do, damned if you don't

I think the thrust of that thread, to a great extent, was that the insiders' belief was that the expectation/evidence of an attack was pretty thin, that it was a leap for the Whitehouse to conclude it was solid, and that Trump ultimately went for the 'far out' option of taking out a high ranking, albeit known bad-guy, Iranian official.

I guess the concern is: was it a sensible decision, one making best use of the facts at hand? The officials in that thread, party to similar knowledge as Trump, think absolutely not.

 

[Lord-Jaffa]

In other words: 99% of people in western countries.

Before yesterday he was only mentioned once in every thread in every forum and sub forum and that was a passing reference in 2015 to him liberating his home town.

And yet he was responsible for a great many deaths, including thousands of protesting Iranian citizens.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1213189745821540353

You seem awfully keen on defending him, or painting him as some kind of victim.

 

[Sankari]

Multiple rockets have struck Iraq's Green Zone and Balad Airbase. Source yet to be confirmed.

 

[Amp34]

So it seems Pompeo is annoyed that Europe and other regional allies aren’t happy with what they didn’t.

Why did you think they’d be numnuts? Perhaps it’s a good indication of how poor your administrations decision making skills are.

 

[Malevolence]

Source yet to be confirmed.

I'm guessing Iran.

 

[doodah]

But of course Mike Pence is peddling some BS link between 9/11 and Soleimani. I also like how the GOP suddenly accept their intelligence service's assessment.....

And yet he was responsible for a great many deaths, including thousands of protesting Iranian citizens.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1213189745821540353

You seem awfully keen on defending him, or painting him as some kind of victim.

So why have successive administrations chose not to do so including Trump in his first three years. You know full well no one here is defending him, it's the consequences of his killing especially in a direct way like this. If tensions in the ME lower, there are no follow up attacks or a rise in civilian and military deaths as a result - job well done. Do you honestly believe all of those things will happen?

The hypocrisy from Trump in provoking Iran and current impeachment proceedings I'm sure are a complete coincidence.

 

[muon]

And yet he was responsible for a great many deaths, including thousands of protesting Iranian citizens.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1213189745821540353

You seem awfully keen on defending him, or painting him as some kind of victim.

Thousands of Americans?

That number was quickly reduced to hundreds in Trump's press conference.

I wonder what the real number is.

Then compare that number to what will happen if this thing escalates.

The WMD BS led to how many American and Iraqi deaths? How many people around the world has it radicalised?

 

[Merlin5]

Multiple rockets have struck Iraq's Green Zone and Balad Airbase. Source yet to be confirmed.

Indeed.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/rocket-falls-near-us-embassy-in-iraq-a4326446.html

 

[LOAM]

 

[jsmoke]

Not what most of you want to hear but here's Alex jones' take on it.

 

[Trusty]