# Drone Strike Killing Iranian General Qassem Soleimani

> Ordered a drone strike near Baghdad airport that killed Iran's most powerful military commander, Qassem Soleimani, sharply escalating U.S.-Iran tensions.

Donald Trump · Foreign Policy · Military Action · Jan 3, 2020
Official record: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Qasem_Soleimani

## What happened

Ordered a drone strike near Baghdad airport that killed Iran's most powerful military commander, Qassem Soleimani, sharply escalating U.S.-Iran tensions.

## How it happened

Presidential order authorizing a targeted military strike on January 3, 2020.

## Documented impact

- [positive / contested] Removed a commander tied to attacks on U.S. forces. — The administration said Soleimani directed lethal operations against Americans and posed imminent threats.
- [negative / substantiated] Triggered Iranian retaliation and injuries to U.S. troops. — Iran fired ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases hosting U.S. forces; ~110 service members were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. In the tense aftermath Iran accidentally shot down a civilian airliner, killing 176.

## Sources

- [Assassination of Qasem Soleimani (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Qasem_Soleimani)

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