US special forces troops posed as airport maintenance staff at Baghdad Airport to co-ordinate the air strike that assassinated Iran’s top commander, Qassem Suleimani, a report says.
They were joined on the ground by Kurdish special force soldiers and assisted by remote help from phone-tracking experts in Israel, it is claimed.
These leaked revelations, released in a new investigation on Saturday by Yahoo News, provide an insider account of the assassination on January 3 last year.
Three sniper teams of the US elite Delta Force disguised as airport workers waited to pinpoint the vehicle that would meet Suleimani, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' foreign operations arm, the Quds Force.
Suleimani was arriving on a flight from the Syrian capital Damascus.
US special forces troops were 600 to 900 metres from the “kill zone” – the access road from the airport – which was set up to triangulate the general's position as he left the airport, the report said.
It is based on interviews with 15 current and former US officials.
Members of the Counter Terrorism Group, an elite Kurdish unit in northern Iraq, posed as baggage handlers and ground crew, and helped to identify the target, it is claimed.
A member of the group is said to have guided the aircraft to a halt on the tarmac while three US drones circled overhead, armed with Hellfire air-to-ground missiles.
The CTG denied any involvement in the operation. It said Suleimani was a "close friend" of late Kurdish politician Jalal Talabani, a former president of Iraq, and that Kurdish special forces once fought on the same frontlines with Suleimani against ISIS.
Suleimani's phones
The report said one US sniper had a spotting scope with a camera attached, which streamed live back to the US embassy in Baghdad, where the Delta Ground Force commander was based with support staff.
In Tel Aviv, it is claimed, US Joint Special Operations Command liaisons worked with Israelis to help track Suleimani’s mobile phone patterns.
The Israelis, who had access to Suleimani’s numbers, passed them to the Americans, who traced his phone to Baghdad, the report said.
Members of a secretive US Army unit known as Task Force Orange were also in Baghdad that night, according to a US military official.
It provided close-range signals intelligence experts for the tactical part of the operation.
The report said that as two vehicles moved into the kill zone, two Hellfire missiles hit Suleimani’s vehicle, obliterating it.
The driver of the second vehicle tried to escape but halted within 100 metres when shot at by a Delta Force sniper.
A third Hellfire missile then destroyed that vehicle, according to the report.
Suleimani was killed along with eight others, including the deputy head of Iraq's powerful Hashed Al Shaabi paramilitary force, Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis.
The report tackled the deliberations by the administration of former president Donald Trump over killing the Iranian general and other top Iranian officials and proxies.
Quoting a CIA official, the report claims that former secretary of state Mike Pompeo said: "Don’t worry about if it’s legal; that’s a question for the lawyers."
The assassination of Suleimani followed escalation between Iran-backed Iraqi militias and coalition forces in Iraq, including a US death in December 2019.
Iran responded to the killing with a barrage of missiles on the joint Iraqi-US airbase at Al Asad in western Iraq.
Up to 100 US soldiers suffered what is known as traumatic brain injury, caused by the shockwaves of the missiles.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Benevento v Atalanta (2pm), Genoa v Bologna (5pm), AC Milan v Torino (7.45pm)
Sunday Roma v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Udinese v Napoli, Hellas Verona v Crotone, Parma v Lazio (2pm), Fiorentina v Cagliari (9pm), Juventus v Sassuolo (11.45pm)
Monday Spezia v Sampdoria (11.45pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
Dunki
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
THE%20SWIMMERS
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SCHEDULE
6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,600m
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 1,200m
8.50pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 2,000m
9.25pm:Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m
Amith's predicted winners:
6.30pm: Down On Da Bayou
7.05pm: Etisalat
7.40pm: Mulfit
8.15pm: Pennsylvania Dutch
8.50pm: Mudallel
9.25pm: Midnight Sands
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
NATIONAL%20SELECTIONS
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RESULTS
5pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner AF Nashrah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner Mutaqadim, Riccardo Iacopini, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
6pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Hameem, Jose Santiago, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
6.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner AF Almomayaz, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner Dalil Al Carrere, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.
7.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner Lahmoom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner Jayide Al Boraq, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
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When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Mobile phone packages comparison
