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On March 13th, Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps General Siamand Mashhadani was reportedly killed by the US strike on Kata’ib Hezbollah positions in Iraq.
#BREAKING NEWS:
General Siamand Mashhadani, one of the #Iranian Revolutionary Guards Top Commander , was killed by the #American airstrike in #Iraq.مقتل الجنرال سيامند مشهداني أحد قادة الحرس الثوري الإيراني بالقصف الأميركي #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/b71xzGdPin
— Botin Kurdistani (@kurdistannews24) March 13, 2020
In addition, 32 Popular Mobilization Units fighters were reportedly killed in the 5 US strikes and at least 50 more were injured.
The strikes were carried out in response to a strike on camp Taji in Iraq, which killed 2 US marines and 1 British army nurse. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said earlier in the day that he was given the authority “to do what we need to do” from US President Donald Trump, without elaborating further.
US defense official confirms to me that the US conducted 5 strikes in #Iraq against weapons storage facilities of #KataibHezbollah in response to deadly attack on Camp #Taji
— Carla Babb (@CarlaBabbVOA) March 12, 2020
Photos emerged purporting to show the impact of the airstrikes on the Karbala International Airport, still under construction in Shia-majority Karbala governorate in central Iraq.
?#عــــاجل ::
بالصور مطار كربلاء الدولي
بعد القصف الأمريكي pic.twitter.com/OkePgX0O46— Firas W. Alsarray – فراس السراي (@firasalsarrai) March 12, 2020
video:
the moment that #US launches retaliatory strikes on Iran-backed Kataib #Hezbollah in #IraqThe #Iranian proxy group Kataib Hezbollah is the only group known to have previously conducted an indirect fire attack of this scale against US and coalition forces in #Iraq#IRAN pic.twitter.com/zrjsuClV7h
— Botin Kurdistani (@kurdistannews24) March 13, 2020
The US also released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack and specifically saying that it was in response to the strike that killed the two US marines on March 11th.
photos: U.S. airstrikes target #Iran-backed militia inside #Karbala airport after deadly rocket attack on base
according to https://t.co/HfuHC79h0y , General Siamand Mashhadani,one of the #Iranian Revolutionary Guards Top Commander was killed on the on the attack #BREAKING pic.twitter.com/eJEYBdOn05
— Botin Kurdistani (@kurdistannews24) March 13, 2020
Heavy flying kept happening over Karrada and the Green zone in Baghdad hours after the strikes.
video:
Heavy flying continuing over the district of Karrada and Green zone in #Baghdadhttps://t.co/g41jD1HJa7 reported , General Siamand Mashhadani,one of the #Iranian Revolutionary Guards Top Commander was killed By American airstrike in Hezbollah headquarters in #iraq pic.twitter.com/4WNCF4jCu6
— Botin Kurdistani (@kurdistannews24) March 13, 2020
This marks the second time that the US strikes Kata’ib Hezbollah positions, with the previous time happening on December 30th, 2019. Both times the accusations it had against it were unproven, and both times the group, part of the Popular Mobilization Units, and as such part of Washington’s allied Iraqi Armed Forces lost dozens of members.
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