A photo provided by the Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader shows Maj Gen Qasem Soleimani in Tehran in 2016. "General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region," the Pentagon said in a statement. "This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans," the statement added. The American drone strike hit two cars carrying Soleimani and several officials with Iranian-backed militias as they were leaving the airport. The strike killed five people, including the pro-Iranian chief of an umbrella group for Iraqi militias, Iraqi television reported and militia officials confirmed.

Source: Bangkok Post January 03, 2020 06:33 UTC