The end of the dark knight

Iranian General Kasem Suleimani, who had a shame in his homeland, and in the west, the dark knight, by analogy with the hero of comics and Batman's films, made journalists in the last 10 years with a gloomy celebrity . Now Suleimani, who was considered in Iran by the star hero , the commander of the al-Kuds special forces (“Jerusalem”) of the Islamic Revolution Corps (Ksir) , a person who directly directed the activities of all Iranian intelligence agents, saboteurs and pro-scale radical groups in the Middle East and abroad, was killed. What will follow his death?

The unofficial motto of the KSIR has always read: "The Americans are not capable of anything." However, on the night of January 2 to 3, Suleimani was killed as a result of a missile strike at the Baghdad International Airport, which organized the United United States Branch of the United Command of Special Operations (USSOCOM) of the United States . A little later, the Pentagon representative confirmed that this was an operation carried out by personal order of President Donald Trump.

The attack of the American military drones was aimed at two cars leaving the Baghdad airport. Together with Suleimani there was Abu Mahdi al-Mukhandis, deputy commander of the so-called "folk mobilization forces", an armed Shiite group supported by Tehran (he also died), and another 9 people from their encirclement. The air from the air was delivered after the Pentagon became known that the plane from Suleimani on board, who arrived from Lebanon or from Syria, landed in Baghdad. At the same time, Washington called this operation “defensive”, since its goal was “the protection of American military personnel, diplomats and specialists in Iraq and other countries of the region”.

Video Show Aftermath of Deadly Us Strike that Killed Major #generalsoimani #قالم_ mom #qaseMsoleimani #generalsoymani pic.twitter.com/fyjdik152q

- Press TV (@Pressstv) January 3, 2020

Kasem Suleimani was a list of 15 senior Iranian leaders suspected of involvement in the development of nuclear weapons compiled by the UN. The United States has long accused Suleimani, among other things, of the preparation of terrorist attacks, including against citizens and officials of the United States. Against the Iranian General of the UN, several years ago I introduced personal sanctions that forbidden him to leave his homeland, but Suleimani freely moved to different states, and not only in the Middle East.

Journalists in Iran claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin several times called Suleimani "My Friend Kasem." To visit Putin, in Moscow and Sochi, the murdered head of Al-Kuds allegedly flew several times in 2015-2017. There is evidence that it was Suleimani who pushed the Kremlin to start a military operation in Syria to support Bashar al -Assad. However, Moscow has always called these messages fiction, and the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov stated that Vladimir Putin and Kasem Suleimani never met. Now the Russian Foreign Ministry called the murder of the general in steps, which will lead to an increase in tension in the region.

Kasem Suleimani a year before death

The liquidation of Case Suleimani occurred against the backdrop of a sharply aggravated relationship between the American contingent in Iraq and the pro -River armed formations. On December 27, as a result of a missile strike on the American military base in Iraq, a US citizen who worked there under a contract died. As a result of the response American strike, 25 militants of the Right Military Group were killed. A day later, its members organized the siege of the American embassy in Baghdad , destroying one of the premises on its territory. The two -day siege of the embassy was shot on Wednesday after it became known about sending 750 American troops to the region.

President Trump recently accused Iran and personally Kasem Suleimani in organizing all attacks on American facilities in Iraq. January 2, a few hours before raiding at Baghdad airport, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said "the conditions of the game have changed." From now on, according to him, the acts of violence by the pro -River groups will be given a military response.

Iran has already stated that the United States would take revenge on the murder of General Suleimani. According to the Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, "cruel revenge is waiting for those on whose hands his blood, like the blood of other martyrs." Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also talked about retaliation, calling Washington’s actions a “terrible crime”, and the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Iran Mojetbe Zulnur recalled that as many as 36 American military bases are in the reach of Iranian ballistic missiles. In connection with the murder of the head of the Al-Kuds forces in Iran, a three-day mourning was declared. According to the Iranian media, General Ismail Kaani was appointed new commander of Al-Kuds.

Ali Khamenei blesses Kase Suleimani. 2017

However, not all Iranians unequivocally condemn the United States for the liquidation of General Suleimani, says Mehdi of the Rurpanchi , director of Radio Fard (Iranian Radio Service Free Europe/Radio Liberty):

"There is a small minority that condemns this attack. But most of the people we see on social networks, especially on Twitter, on Instagram, are partly glad that this happened. Please do not forget that there were riots in Iran almost six weeks ago, protests in more than a hundred cities, and in most of these cities, Xirr was the main force that suppressed these protests, they killed these protests, they killed these protests. Hundreds of people, on the streets, were killed up to 1,500 people.

Some people think that this death will only strengthen Iran’s position in Iraq

By the way, some think that this death will only strengthen Iran’s position in Iraq, mobilize the forces standing behind Tehran. In the Iraqi parliament, negotiations are underway on the expulsion of American troops from Iraq. The incident can accelerate the adoption of such a decision. But there is another point of view: it was a huge blow to Iran, and it will take months or, perhaps, years so that Tehran could find a replacement for such a powerful military as Kasem Suleimani. It was he who created a network of Iran’s allies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen. "

Fighters Ksir at a military parade in Tehran. September 2018

It is interesting that the White House did not inform the US Congress informed about the upcoming operation in Baghdad. The speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi called the murder of Suleimani a provocation, which jeopardizes the security of the Americans. And the obvious political rival of US President Joe Biden emphasized that the actions of the White House will definitely provoke Tehran to response.

On January 3, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on Twitter that the inhabitants of Iraq were happy to meet the news about the results of the American special operation.

Iraqis - Iraqis - Dancing in the Street for Freedom; thankful That General Soleimani is no more. pic.twitter.com/hufcae3ap4

- Secretary Pompeo (@secpompeo) January 3, 2020

The death of Kasem Suleimani and all the actions and statements of the American and Iranian leaders in an interview with Radio Liberty is commented on by the orientalist, the expert of Iran, the military-political expert Mikhail Magid :

- How large was the role of General Case Suleimani throughout the Middle East?

-Suleimani not only led Al-Kuds units, but also a virtually huge network of Iranian allies and Shiite militias in the Middle East. We are talking about about 152 thousand militants in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon. Sometimes Suleimani was generally called a key military and political Iranian figure in the Middle East, although it was not known about him. He had a shadow nickname. He was a confidant of the Iranian spiritual leader Ali Khamenei. Sometimes they say that he had even a more significant political weight than President Hassan Rukhani. The murder of Kasem Suleimani, so that you represent the scale, is approximately as if Iraq arrived, for example, the Minister of Defense or US Secretary of State and was killed there by Iranian agents.

- Was the murdered architect really the beginning of the Russian military operation in Syria , as many wrote and said? And even Vladimir Putin called him "my friend Kasem"?

- Russia has never officially recognized such a role in Suleimani. And it seems to me that this is an exaggeration. I think that architects of all Syrian operations are still sitting in Moscow, and not in Tehran. Another thing is that Suleimani really made several visits to Moscow , in 2015 and 2016, and the scale of the Russian operation in Syria and the supply of weapons Assad were agreed with it. Although in Moscow they are not officially recognized as this.

Anti -American demonstration of Shiites in Pakistan after the murder of Kasem Suleimani. Islamabad, January 3, 2020

-It is known that nevertheless he played a huge role in the coordination of the actions of Tehran and Moscow in Syria. It was he who stood behind many tactical operations, when both Iranian and Russian troops acted there with might and main.

- There is no doubt about this, simply because Suleimani was generally the main coordinator of all Iranian military operations abroad. Of course, Russia had to coordinate its military actions with him .

- And in Lebanon was his role great? In everything that has happened there in the last few years?

- Kasem Suleimani was very close to the leaders of the largest Lebanese Shiite Gesbollah group and personally with its head Sheikh Hassan Nasellla. That is why now Nasrollah also makes warlike statements, shouting that Hezbollah will not leave this and will participate in the implementation of some actions aimed at taking revenge on Suleimani.

- Is it great after what happened, the threat of war between the United States and Iran?

- There are sufficiently powerful factors that prevent the outcome of a full -scale war between Iran and the USA. Firstly, President Trump is not interested in such a war. He came to power, just criticizing American participation in wars in the Middle East. These wars are unpopular in the United States. Trump does not want to lose the elections in 2020, drawing America into a new large -scale war.

The United States has incommensurably superior military and scientific and technical power

On the other hand, Iran’s leadership is not interested in a full -scale war with the United States. Firstly, simply because the United States has a incommensurably superior military and scientific and technical power. Secondly, because in Iran itself the regime is unstable. In November, there was actually an uprising against the government. People, outraged by rising prices, took to the streets. At the same time, the Iranians set fire to government offices and banks, blocked the tracks. The Iranian special services, led by Suleimani, is an uprising that unfolded more than one hundred cities of Iran, crushed about 1,500 people. These are huge numbers. So the situation in Iran itself is not such that the Iranian government could take a lot of risk, drawing the country into a big war.

Another thing is that Tehran will now clearly try to draw Washington into an even greater hybrid war on the periphery of Iran, just in Iraq, or in some other countries and regions. Iranian leaders want to apply point strikes to the Americans to worsen Trump's position before the elections. But at the same time, I repeat, neither Iran, nor the United States, it is not beneficial for all this to result in a full -scale large war. But whether they will be able to resist this war, if further escalation goes, is a separate question.

Anti -American demonstration in Tehran. January 3, 2020

- Inside the United States itself, a wave of criticism has now collapsed on Donald Trump, very many talk about the incredible danger of such a step. But, apparently, the US president, as always, is not afraid of anyone and does not look back at anyone. But is it ready on the eve of the elections and are the USA ready for this very hybrid war in the entire Middle East, if Tehran still tries to untie it?

- Perhaps the US president knows well what he is doing, and the Pentagon carefully planned this operation, providing all the consequences. But I have no confidence in this. If really such a hybrid war will lead to an increase in the losses of the US military and to a new escalation, then, of course, anything can happen. But, on the other hand, it is possible that Trump had no other choice. Because the Iranians imposed on the Americans this tough scenario of escalation. If your bases and your objects are constantly shelling, you cannot pretend that nothing happens. You must somehow answer. And in the end, this form of answer was chosen. In a sense, Trump was driven into a corner. If he continued to pretend that everything was going as usual, it would have led to the loss of his authority in the United States. Namely, this Iranians sought.

-By the way, what role in Iraq and in general in the region did another noticeable deceased play-the deputy chief of these Iraqi Shiite militias (they are known as the “forces of folk mobilization”) Abu Mahdi al-Mukhandis?

-Al-Mukhandis was actually the true leader of the "forces of folk mobilization." In addition, he headed the influential local group of Katais Hezbollah. In fact, this man was one of the leading not only generals, but also politicians in Iraq. They talk a lot and write about the enormous role of Iran in Iraqi events. Actually, Iraq has long been called "pearl in the crown of the Iranian Empire." And al-Muhandis was just one of those proxies of Tehran who, in fact, led Iraq until recently. Moreover, it is interesting that Muhandis was a citizen of Iran and was married to Iranka. And during the Iran-Iraqi war, he was an expert of the consultant of the same Corps of Al-Kuds and helped Iranian generals in operations against the Iraqi army. Although he was born in Iraq! It is on the example of Muhandis that one can just understand the gigantic influence of Iran in Iraqi events.

US special operation at Baghdad Airport, January 3, 2020

- The official Tehran is now threatening Washington to bring down all possible thunders and lightning. Judging by the available personnel coming from Iran, there are mourning, there ordinary people seem to sincerely cry on the streets. Although this can be doubted. But this is in Iran. And in Iraq itself, how did they perceive what happened? How did various forces react to liquidation with Ulyimani and Muhandis?

- Last night in Iraq, when reports of what happened, participants in mass anti -government manifestations entered the streets in Baghdad, the very people who have been protesting against the current Iraqi authorities and achieve their displacement for several months, from October 1. They celebrated this event! Because not so long ago it was General Kasem Suleimani: "We need to break protests in Iraq in the same way as we broke the Iranian protest." And throughout the Middle East they know that we are talking about mass killings. Indeed, the Iraqi security forces, the Right Police and, perhaps, even directly some fighters from the Al-Kuds corps, killed a total of 500 Iraqis in three months, and thousands were wounded and mutilated. Of course, after all this, protesters hate Suleimani and Muhandis.

It is General Kasem Suleimani: "We need to break protests in Iraq in the same way as we broke the Iranian protest"

However, Iraqi protesters over the past few months have created an organized network of strike coordination committees in cities. And now the Tahrir Square Committee in Baghdad spoke more carefully: "We do not celebrate this liquidation, although Suleimani and Muhandis were our enemies. But we believe that the United States and Iran should not sort things out among ourselves in Iraq and put on the safety of the inhabitants of Iraq." Some Iraqi spiritual leaders spoke about the same vein. But, on the other hand, there are pro -war detachments, and they, of course, are furious, they swear that, they say, they will answer and strike the Americans. And finally, there is the Iraqi government, which is very afraid that the military operations between Iran and the United States will cover the territory of Iraq. Therefore, they quite sharply condemned the operation to eliminate Suleimani. However, regardless of what they say and do, the influence of Iran in Iraq today is so great that the regime in Tehran will do what he considers necessary.

As for the reaction in Iran itself and these frames with supposedly crying crowds. But do not forget that in Iran there are prohibited any demonstrations, except for official ones. Of course, people were driven to these demonstrations. Of course, some part of the population in Iran considers Suleimani a hero and defender, and the sorrow of these people is sincere. But in Iran, hatred of the government is so great, after the November uprising and after the monstrous murders of the participants in these protests, that I am not surprised to learn that, in fact, many Iranians treat this murder about the same as the inhabitants of Baghdad, who celebrate the death of Muhandis and Suleimani.