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Trump Foreign Policy: Making ISIS Great Again
In the early morning hours on December 3rd, 2020, Qassem Soleimani’s plane touched down on the tarmac at the Baghdad International Airport. Called “the most powerful operative in the Middle East today” by a former CIA official, Soleimani was a nefarious figure. As the commander of the Quds Force, Iran’s special operations force specializing in operations outside of the country, he would often travel around the region, meeting with government officials, but also with various shadowy militia leaders.
That day, he was met at the airport by a leader of the local pro-Iranian Iraqi militia and his aides. Together, the group got into two vehicles and set off on the journey to downtown Baghdad. Unbeknown to them, a US military drone was flying overhead, following their every move.
Shortly after the two cars left the airport, the drone struck, firing off several missiles, hitting the vehicles and killing 10 people on-board. While the characters that died were pretty unsavory, what is significant in this entire story is the potential aftermath. This could be the spark that sets off much more deadly events, potentially destabilizing the entire region.
