Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani’s ability to travel as he pleased in much of the Middle East likely contributed to his death.
Soleimani, the Iranian general responsible for the death of hundreds of American service members, was killed by a drone strike on Thursday while driving between the city Baghdad and the airport. While some could question why Soleimani felt confident enough to travel days after helping coordinate an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, it wasn’t unusual for him to travel at will, according to the New York Times.
Marc Polymeropoulos, a retired senior CIA operations officer said, “Soleimani was treated like royalty, and was not particularly hard to find. Soleimani absolutely felt untouchable, particularly in Iraq. He took selfies of himself on the battlefield and openly taunted the U.S. because he felt safe in doing so.”
[Click here for more Soleimani coverage]
Both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama followed Soleimani’s moves via drone for years. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, a retired Army general who led Joint Special Operations Command in the mid-2000s, recalled following Solemiani’s movements with a clear opportunity to strike but opted not to because of potential backlash.
“To avoid a firefight, and the contentious politics that would follow, I decided that we should monitor the caravan, not strike immediately,” McChrystal said while recalling the moment.
McChrystal was hesitant to make the move himself, though he lauded Trump’s decision. He warned there could be retaliation, stating, “The targeting was appropriate given Soleimani’s very public role in orchestrating Iranian attacks on the U.S. and our allies. We can’t consider this as an isolated action. As with all such actions, it will impact the dynamics of the region, and Iran will likely feel compelled to respond in kind.”
Soleimani’s death came amid heightened tensions following the death of an American contractor and an attack on the U.S. Embassy. Secretary of State Pompeo explained that the decision to kill the general was tied to “imminent” plans for an attack on American personnel.
