Soleimani's killing: How was the operation carried out and what are the consequences?

Thousands of mourners gathered in Baghdad on Saturday ahead of a funeral procession for Iran's slain military commander Qassem Soleimani, Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and others killed in a Friday US&nbsp;air strike in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iraq-new-strikes-on-iran-backed-group-kill-six-272010">Iraq</a>.

Friday's attack on Baghdad airport, authorised by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/soleimani-contributed-to-plotting-terror-attacks-in-new-delhi-london-trump-272027">US&nbsp;President Donald Trump</a>, was a major escalation in a "shadow war" in the Middle East between <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-will-respond-to-soleimani-killing-any-time-in-any-manner-foreign-minister-zarif-272013">Iran and the United States</a> and American allies, principally Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Soleimani was Tehran's most prominent military commander and the architect of its growing influence in the Middle East. Muhandis was the deputy commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) umbrella grouping of paramilitary groups.

The PMF are planning an elaborate funeral procession for both men and the others who died, starting in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, moving towards the Shi'ite holy city of Kerbala and ending in the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf.

Mourners started gathering in Baghdad's streets from the morning ahead of the start of the procession, waving Iraqi and militia flags in a sombre atmosphere.

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Earlier on Saturday, Iraq's PMF had said further air strikes near camp Taji had killed six people and critically wounded three. The attacks hit a convoy of medics, not senior leaders, the grouping said.

Iraqi state television had said they were US&nbsp;air strikes but the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State later denied any involvement, saying it did not conduct any recent attacks near the camp north of Baghdad.

"FACT: the coalition ... did not conduct airstrikes near Camp Taji (north of Baghdad) in recent days," a coalition spokesman said on Twitter.

US-Iranian hostilities have been playing out in Iraq since last week when pro-Iranian militia attacked the US&nbsp;Embassy in Baghdad following a deadly U.S. air raid on the Kataib Hezbollah militia, founded by Muhandis.

Friday's attack divided Iraqi opinion.

Many condemned the strikes, seeing Soleimani as a hero for his role in defeating the Islamic State militant group. Others voiced approval, saying Soleimani and Muhandis had backed the use of force against unarmed anti-government protesters last year and established militias that demonstrators blame for many of Iraq's social and economic woes.

Many Iraqis criticised Washington for killing the men on Iraqi soil and possibly plunging Iraq into another war.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 
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Thousands of mourners gathered in Baghdad on Saturday ahead of a funeral procession for Iran's slain military commander Qassem Soleimani, Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and others killed in a Friday US air strike in Iraq.

Thousands of mourners gathered in Baghdad on Saturday ahead of a funeral procession for Iran's slain military commander Qassem Soleimani, Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and others killed in a Friday US air strike in Iraq. Friday's attack on Baghdad airport, authorised by US President Donald Trump, was a major escalation in a "shadow war" in the Middle East between Iran and the United States and American allies, principally Israel and Saudi Arabia. Soleimani was Tehran's most prominent military commander and the architect of its growing influence in the Middle East. Muhandis was the deputy commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) umbrella grouping of paramilitary groups. The PMF are planning an elaborate funeral procession for both men and the others who died, starting in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, moving towards the Shi'ite holy city of Kerbala and ending in the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf. Mourners started gathering in Baghdad's streets from the morning ahead of the start of the procession, waving Iraqi and militia flags in a sombre atmosphere. × Earlier on Saturday, Iraq's PMF had said further air strikes near camp Taji had killed six people and critically wounded three. The attacks hit a convoy of medics, not senior leaders, the grouping said. Iraqi state television had said they were US air strikes but the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State later denied any involvement, saying it did not conduct any recent attacks near the camp north of Baghdad. "FACT: the coalition ... did not conduct airstrikes near Camp Taji (north of Baghdad) in recent days," a coalition spokesman said on Twitter. US-Iranian hostilities have been playing out in Iraq since last week when pro-Iranian militia attacked the US Embassy in Baghdad following a deadly U.S. air raid on the Kataib Hezbollah militia, founded by Muhandis. Friday's attack divided Iraqi opinion. Many condemned the strikes, seeing Soleimani as a hero for his role in defeating the Islamic State militant group. Others voiced approval, saying Soleimani and Muhandis had backed the use of force against unarmed anti-government protesters last year and established militias that demonstrators blame for many of Iraq's social and economic woes. Many Iraqis criticised Washington for killing the men on Iraqi soil and possibly plunging Iraq into another war.

Thousands gather in Baghdad to mourn Soleimani, others killed in US airstrike

US&nbsp;citizens working for foreign&nbsp;oil&nbsp;companies in the southern&nbsp;Iraqi city of Basra were leaving the country on Friday, the&nbsp;oil&nbsp;ministry said after&nbsp;a&nbsp;US&nbsp;airstrike&nbsp;killed a top&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/oil-prices-surge-after-us-strike-kills-iranian-general-271775">Iranian&nbsp;commander</a> in&nbsp;Iraq.

Hours&nbsp;after&nbsp;the killing of&nbsp;Iranian&nbsp;Quds&nbsp;Force&nbsp;leader&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/deputy-commander-of-quds-force-to-replace-soleimani-irans-supreme-leader-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-271905">Qassem Soleimani</a> and&nbsp;Iraqi militia commander <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/deputy-head-of-group-irans-quds-force-head-qasem-soleimani-killed-hashed-al-shaabi-271762">Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis</a>, who was with him, the&nbsp;US&nbsp;embassy in Baghdad urged all its citizens to&nbsp;leave&nbsp;Iraq&nbsp;immediately.

Iraqi officials said the evacuation would not affect&nbsp;oil&nbsp;operations, production or exports from the country, the second-biggest producer in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/oil-prices-tumble-ahead-of-opec-meeting-global-stocks-fall-265363">Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries</a> with the output of about 4.62 million barrels per day (BPD), according to a&nbsp;survey of OPEC output.

Oil&nbsp;company sources told&nbsp;earlier on Friday that dozens of foreign&nbsp;workers&nbsp;were expected to fly out of the country. A&nbsp;witness saw a number of foreigners, including&nbsp;US&nbsp;citizens, queuing at Basra&nbsp;airport and described the atmosphere as relaxed.

Some were travelling to Dubai on&nbsp;airline FlyDubai and others were checking in at the Qatar&nbsp;Airways counter.

A spokesman for BP, which operates the giant Rumaila&nbsp;oil&nbsp;field near Basra, declined to comment. Rumaila produced around 1.5 million BPD as recently as April.

Italian energy group Eni&nbsp;said the Zubair&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iraq-protesters-lock-down-oil-field-call-strike-270855">oil&nbsp;field</a>, which produced around 475,000 BPD in 2018, was "proceeding regularly", adding it was closely monitoring the situation.

US&nbsp;major Exxon Mobil declined to comment on whether it was evacuating staff but said the production "continues&nbsp;normally" at its West Qurna 1&nbsp;oil&nbsp;concession in the south of the country near the&nbsp;Iranian&nbsp;border.

"We continue to watch the situation closely," a spokeswoman said.

Exxon removed around 60 foreign staff from West Qurna last May&nbsp;after&nbsp;attacks near its&nbsp;oil&nbsp;facilities. The employees returned about two weeks later&nbsp;after&nbsp;the government agreed to provide additional security.

Schlumberger, which also works in southern&nbsp;Iraq, is evaluating the security situation, a spokesman said, declining to comment on the&nbsp;US&nbsp;call for citizens to evacuate. Last year it won a two-year contract to drill 40 wells for Basra&nbsp;Oil&nbsp;Co.

Ian Bryant, chief executive of Canadian&nbsp;oilfield company Packers Plus, said he was "more concerned than ever" about the safety of their staff in&nbsp;Iraq, adding he was worried that&nbsp;US, British and Canadian citizens might get caught up in any unrest.

Genel, an&nbsp;oil&nbsp;producer in the autonomous region of Kurdistan in northern&nbsp;Iraq, said its operations were continuing normally. It did not comment on any staff movements.

Gulf Keystone Petroleum, which also operates in Kurdistan, said "while these events are taking place ... Gulf Keystone is closely monitoring the situation and operations at (the Shaikan field) are carrying on as per usual".

US citizens working for foreign oil companies in the southern Iraqi city of Basra were leaving the country on Friday, the oil ministry said after a US airstrike killed a top Iranian commander in Iraq.

US citizens working for foreign oil companies in the southern Iraqi city of Basra were leaving the country on Friday, the oil ministry said after a US airstrike killed a top Iranian commander in Iraq. Hours after the killing of Iranian Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was with him, the US embassy in Baghdad urged all its citizens to leave Iraq immediately. Iraqi officials said the evacuation would not affect oil operations, production or exports from the country, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries with the output of about 4.62 million barrels per day (BPD), according to a survey of OPEC output. Oil company sources told earlier on Friday that dozens of foreign workers were expected to fly out of the country. A witness saw a number of foreigners, including US citizens, queuing at Basra airport and described the atmosphere as relaxed. Some were travelling to Dubai on airline FlyDubai and others were checking in at the Qatar Airways counter. A spokesman for BP, which operates the giant Rumaila oil field near Basra, declined to comment. Rumaila produced around 1.5 million BPD as recently as April. Italian energy group Eni said the Zubair oil field, which produced around 475,000 BPD in 2018, was "proceeding regularly", adding it was closely monitoring the situation. US major Exxon Mobil declined to comment on whether it was evacuating staff but said the production "continues normally" at its West Qurna 1 oil concession in the south of the country near the Iranian border. "We continue to watch the situation closely," a spokeswoman said. Exxon removed around 60 foreign staff from West Qurna last May after attacks near its oil facilities. The employees returned about two weeks later after the government agreed to provide additional security. Schlumberger, which also works in southern Iraq, is evaluating the security situation, a spokesman said, declining to comment on the US call for citizens to evacuate. Last year it won a two-year contract to drill 40 wells for Basra Oil Co. Ian Bryant, chief executive of Canadian oilfield company Packers Plus, said he was "more concerned than ever" about the safety of their staff in Iraq, adding he was worried that US, British and Canadian citizens might get caught up in any unrest. Genel, an oil producer in the autonomous region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq, said its operations were continuing normally. It did not comment on any staff movements. Gulf Keystone Petroleum, which also operates in Kurdistan, said "while these events are taking place ... Gulf Keystone is closely monitoring the situation and operations at (the Shaikan field) are carrying on as per usual".

US oil workers leave Iraq after air strike on Iranian leader Qassem Soleimani

Iranian Major-General <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/rocket-attack-on-baghdad-airport-top-iran-commander-killed-271756">Qassem Soleimani</a>, head of the elite Quds Force, and&nbsp;Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed early on Friday in an airstrike on their convoy at Baghdad airport, an&nbsp;Iraqi militia spokesman told Reuters.

"The American and Israeli enemy is responsible for killing the mujahideen Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qassem Soleimani," said Ahmed al-Assadi, a spokesman for&nbsp;Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces umbrella grouping of Iran-backed militias.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-carries-out-airstrikes-against-militant-groups-in-iraq-syria-270892">Strikes</a> had been carried out against two targets linked to Iran in Baghdad on Thursday, US&nbsp;officials told sources. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined to give any further details.

Watch: Reports - Air strike on Baghdad airport, 8 killed including Iranian Major-General Soleimani

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Iraqi paramilitary groups said on Friday that three rockets hit Baghdad International Airport, killing five members of&nbsp;Iraqi paramilitary groups and two "guests."

The rockets landed near the air cargo terminal, burning two vehicles, killing and injuring several people.
<img alt="Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a commander in the Popular Mobilization Forces" data-caption="Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a commander in the Popular Mobilization Forces was also killed in the airstrikes conducted by the US airstrike which killed Iranian Quds Forces commander Qassem Soleimani." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="aee4b6d8-1e77-4abd-8835-569336dc06dd" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%286%29_7.jpg" />
Soleimani, who has led the foreign arm of the Revolutionary Guards and has had a key role in fighting in Syria and&nbsp;Iraq, acquired celebrity status at home and abroad.

He was instrumental in the spread of Iranian influence in the Middle East, which the United States and Tehran's regional foes Saudi Arabia and Israel have struggled to keep in check.

He survived several <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-says-it-foiled-plot-to-kill-quds-force-chief-qassem-suleimani-253699">assassination attempts</a> against him by Western, Israeli and Arab agencies over the past two decades.

Soleimani's Quds Force, tasked with carrying out operations beyond Iran's borders, shored up support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad when he looked close to defeat in the civil war raging since 2011 and also helped militiamen defeat Islamic State in&nbsp;Iraq.

Soleimani became head of the Quds Force in 1998, a position in which he kept a low profile for years while he strengthened Iran's ties with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government and Shi’ite militia groups in&nbsp;Iraq.

Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed early on Friday in an airstrike on their convoy at Baghdad airport, an Iraqi militia spokesman told Reuters.

Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed early on Friday in an airstrike on their convoy at Baghdad airport, an Iraqi militia spokesman told Reuters. "The American and Israeli enemy is responsible for killing the mujahideen Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qassem Soleimani," said Ahmed al-Assadi, a spokesman for Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces umbrella grouping of Iran-backed militias. Strikes had been carried out against two targets linked to Iran in Baghdad on Thursday, US officials told sources. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined to give any further details. Watch: Reports - Air strike on Baghdad airport, 8 killed including Iranian Major-General Soleimani × Iraqi paramilitary groups said on Friday that three rockets hit Baghdad International Airport, killing five members of Iraqi paramilitary groups and two "guests." The rockets landed near the air cargo terminal, burning two vehicles, killing and injuring several people. Soleimani, who has led the foreign arm of the Revolutionary Guards and has had a key role in fighting in Syria and Iraq, acquired celebrity status at home and abroad. He was instrumental in the spread of Iranian influence in the Middle East, which the United States and Tehran's regional foes Saudi Arabia and Israel have struggled to keep in check. He survived several assassination attempts against him by Western, Israeli and Arab agencies over the past two decades. Soleimani's Quds Force, tasked with carrying out operations beyond Iran's borders, shored up support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad when he looked close to defeat in the civil war raging since 2011 and also helped militiamen defeat Islamic State in Iraq. Soleimani became head of the Quds Force in 1998, a position in which he kept a low profile for years while he strengthened Iran's ties with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government and Shi’ite militia groups in Iraq.

Iran's Soleimani and Iraq's Muhandis killed in US air strike - militia spokesman

At least 13 militants belonging to the Taliban insurgent group have been killed in an airstrike carried out by the United States in Southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan.

Khaama Press quoted local security officials as saying that two engineers expert in the making of the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were among those killed in the airstrike conducted on Saturday night in the vicinity of Khakriz district.

According to the Police Chief General Abdul Raziq, the militants were making IEDs when they came under the air raid.

Taliban has not commented on the incident so far. Last month, Afghanistan&#39;s Minister of Defence (MoD) claimed that at least 35 insurgents were killed in an airstrike conducted in the province.

According to the Police Chief General Abdul Raziq, the militants were making IEDs when they came under the air raid

At least 13 militants belonging to the Taliban insurgent group have been killed in an airstrike carried out by the United States in Southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan. Khaama Press quoted local security officials as saying that two engineers expert in the making of the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were among those killed in the airstrike conducted on Saturday night in the vicinity of Khakriz district. According to the Police Chief General Abdul Raziq, the militants were making IEDs when they came under the air raid. Taliban has not commented on the incident so far. Last month, Afghanistan's Minister of Defence (MoD) claimed that at least 35 insurgents were killed in an airstrike conducted in the province.

US airstrike kills 13 Taliban militants in Afghanistan

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/at-least-40-dead-140-wounded-after-massive-suicide-bomb-explosion-rocks-kabul-30897">At least 63 dead, 151 wounded after massive suicide bomb explosion rocks Kabul</a>

An explosives-packed ambulance blew up in a crowded area of Kabul on Saturday, killing at least 63 people and wounding 151 others, officials said, in one of the biggest blasts to rock the war-torn city in recent years.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kasganj-clash-49-people-arrested-section-144-to-continue-30912">Kasganj clash: 49 people arrested, section 144 to continue</a>

Violence erupted in Uttar Pradesh&#39;s Kasganj district after the cremation of a youth, who lost his life in firing during a clash between two groups on Friday.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/caroline-wozniacki-beats-simona-halep-to-win-australian-open-30913">Caroline Wozniacki beats Simona Halep to win Australian Open</a>

Caroline Wozniacki claimed her maiden grand slam title with a 7-6(2) 3-6 6-4 win over top seed Simona Halep in the Australian Open final on Saturday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/iplauction-2018-live-30884">IPL 2018 auction LIVE: Sunrisers Hyderabad retains Rashid Khan for 9 crores</a>

The IPL 2018 auction is taking place in Bengaluru today where a total of 578 players went under the hammer.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/eight-dead-as-us-strike-hits-iraq-forces-30899">Eight dead as US strike hits Iraq forces</a>

Eight Iraqis were killed on Saturday, most of them security personnel, in a US air strike that apparently targeted them by mistake, a provincial official said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

At least 63 dead, 151 wounded after massive suicide bomb explosion rocks Kabul An explosives-packed ambulance blew up in a crowded area of Kabul on Saturday, killing at least 63 people and wounding 151 others, officials said, in one of the biggest blasts to rock the war-torn city in recent years. Kasganj clash: 49 people arrested, section 144 to continue Violence erupted in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj district after the cremation of a youth, who lost his life in firing during a clash between two groups on Friday. Caroline Wozniacki beats Simona Halep to win Australian Open Caroline Wozniacki claimed her maiden grand slam title with a 7-6(2) 3-6 6-4 win over top seed Simona Halep in the Australian Open final on Saturday. IPL 2018 auction LIVE: Sunrisers Hyderabad retains Rashid Khan for 9 crores The IPL 2018 auction is taking place in Bengaluru today where a total of 578 players went under the hammer. Eight dead as US strike hits Iraq forces Eight Iraqis were killed on Saturday, most of them security personnel, in a US air strike that apparently targeted them by mistake, a provincial official said.

WION Evening News Brief, 27 January 2018

Two suspected fighters from India who joined the Islamic State and the Al-Qaeda&nbsp;were&nbsp;reportedly killed during a US airstrike in Afghanistan.&nbsp;

With Yahya and Abu Thahir&#39;s death, the number of&nbsp;Indian recruits in the last fortnight to have been killed in US strikes in Afghanistan has risen to four.

Police said they received an information last night about the death of Thahir in Syria.

But Indian investigators have yet to confirm Yahya&#39;s&nbsp;death.

Yahya&#39;s family members got a message about his death last night on Telegram, a social media application, BCA Rahiman , a social worker told Press Trust of India.

The sender of the message, Asfak, said Yahya was &quot;martyred&quot; in the US attack.

&quot;He was killed while fighting the US forces,&quot; the message read.

It, however, does not specify as to when he was killed.

The US has ramped up its fight against Islamic State in Afghanistan in recent weeks, with the most devastating strike occurring in mid-April when an American warplane dropped the &#39;Mother of All Bombs&#39; which reportedly left scores of IS militants dead.

According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, the US carried out seven airstrikes or drone attacks in the war-stricken country in the last seven days, which has reportedly killed 127 extremists.

Yahya and Abu Thahir, both of whom hailed from Palakkad in Kerala, had reportedly joined Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, police said.

They were among the 21 people, including women and children from Kerala, who had travelled to the Middle East and went missing in 2016.

A fortnight ago, Murshid Muhammed from Padna in Kerala&#39;s Kasargod&nbsp;district was killed in a drone attack in Afghanistan. 
 
WION&#39;s Ramesh Ramachandran has reported in the past about how India&#39;s southern state of Kerala has confounded Indian authorities by becoming a fertile ground for IS to recruit more fighters.

Despite high literacy rates and prosperity in the state&nbsp;when compared to the rest of the country, young men and women in Kerala have taken to IS&#39; ultra-conservative Islamic interpretation as they have become disillusioned with local Islamic groups&#39; more progressive agenda, his report had stated.

Another alarming aspect of Indians joining the Middle East-based jihadist organisation&nbsp;is that some of the young men and women had degrees in engineering, medicine or management with well-paying jobs.

In total, there are about 100 Indians who have joined IS as per an Indian government data.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

&nbsp;

With Yahya and Abu Thahir's death, the number of?Indian recruits in the last fortnight to have been killed in US strikes in Afghanistan has risen to four

Two suspected fighters from India who joined the Islamic State and the Al-Qaeda were reportedly killed during a US airstrike in Afghanistan. With Yahya and Abu Thahir's death, the number of Indian recruits in the last fortnight to have been killed in US strikes in Afghanistan has risen to four. Police said they received an information last night about the death of Thahir in Syria. But Indian investigators have yet to confirm Yahya's death. Yahya's family members got a message about his death last night on Telegram, a social media application, BCA Rahiman , a social worker told Press Trust of India. The sender of the message, Asfak, said Yahya was "martyred" in the US attack. "He was killed while fighting the US forces," the message read. It, however, does not specify as to when he was killed. The US has ramped up its fight against Islamic State in Afghanistan in recent weeks, with the most devastating strike occurring in mid-April when an American warplane dropped the 'Mother of All Bombs' which reportedly left scores of IS militants dead. According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, the US carried out seven airstrikes or drone attacks in the war-stricken country in the last seven days, which has reportedly killed 127 extremists. Yahya and Abu Thahir, both of whom hailed from Palakkad in Kerala, had reportedly joined Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, police said. They were among the 21 people, including women and children from Kerala, who had travelled to the Middle East and went missing in 2016. A fortnight ago, Murshid Muhammed from Padna in Kerala's Kasargod district was killed in a drone attack in Afghanistan. WION's Ramesh Ramachandran has reported in the past about how India's southern state of Kerala has confounded Indian authorities by becoming a fertile ground for IS to recruit more fighters. Despite high literacy rates and prosperity in the state when compared to the rest of the country, young men and women in Kerala have taken to IS' ultra-conservative Islamic interpretation as they have become disillusioned with local Islamic groups' more progressive agenda, his report had stated. Another alarming aspect of Indians joining the Middle East-based jihadist organisation is that some of the young men and women had degrees in engineering, medicine or management with well-paying jobs. In total, there are about 100 Indians who have joined IS as per an Indian government data. (WION with inputs from PTI)

2 Indians who joined IS 'killed' in US airstrike in Afghanistan

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said in an interview that she sees regime change in Syria as one of the Trump administration&#39;s priorities in the country wracked by civil war. 
&nbsp; 
Defeating Islamic State, pushing Iranian influence out of Syria, and the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are priorities for Washington, Haley said in an interview on CNN&rsquo;s &ldquo;State of the Union&rdquo; which will air in full on Sunday.

&quot;We don&rsquo;t see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there,&quot; Haley said.

The comments represented a departure from what Haley had said before the United States hit a Syrian air base with 59 Tomahawk missiles on Thursday in retaliation for what it said was a chemical weapons attack by Assad&#39;s forces on Syrian civilians.

President Donald Trump ordered the missile strike after watching television images of infants suffering from chemical weapons injuries.

&quot;You pick and choose your battles and when we&#39;re looking at this, it&#39;s about changing up priorities and our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out,&quot; Haley had told reporters on March 30, just days before dozens of Syrian civilians died from chemical weapons injuries.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seemed to take a more patient stance in regard to Assad, saying on Saturday that Washington&#39;s first priority is the defeat of Islamic State. 
&nbsp; 
Once the threat from Islamic State has been reduced or eliminated, &ldquo;I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria,&rdquo; Tillerson said in excerpts from an interview on CBS&rsquo;s &ldquo;Face the Nation,&rdquo; that will air in full on Sunday. 
&nbsp; 
Tillerson said the United States is hopeful it can help bring parties together to begin the process of hammering out a political solution.

&quot;If we can achieve ceasefires in zones of stabilization in Syria, then I believe - we hope we will have the conditions to begin a useful political process,&rdquo; Tillerson said.

Syrian forces launched further airstrikes on Saturday that killed 18 people including five children in rebel-controlled Idlib province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the civil defense rescue service reported.

(Reuters)

'We don?t see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there,' Haley said

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said in an interview that she sees regime change in Syria as one of the Trump administration's priorities in the country wracked by civil war. Defeating Islamic State, pushing Iranian influence out of Syria, and the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are priorities for Washington, Haley said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” which will air in full on Sunday. "We don’t see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there," Haley said. The comments represented a departure from what Haley had said before the United States hit a Syrian air base with 59 Tomahawk missiles on Thursday in retaliation for what it said was a chemical weapons attack by Assad's forces on Syrian civilians. President Donald Trump ordered the missile strike after watching television images of infants suffering from chemical weapons injuries. "You pick and choose your battles and when we're looking at this, it's about changing up priorities and our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out," Haley had told reporters on March 30, just days before dozens of Syrian civilians died from chemical weapons injuries. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seemed to take a more patient stance in regard to Assad, saying on Saturday that Washington's first priority is the defeat of Islamic State. Once the threat from Islamic State has been reduced or eliminated, “I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria,” Tillerson said in excerpts from an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” that will air in full on Sunday. Tillerson said the United States is hopeful it can help bring parties together to begin the process of hammering out a political solution. "If we can achieve ceasefires in zones of stabilization in Syria, then I believe - we hope we will have the conditions to begin a useful political process,” Tillerson said. Syrian forces launched further airstrikes on Saturday that killed 18 people including five children in rebel-controlled Idlib province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the civil defense rescue service reported. (Reuters)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster a priority for US: Nikki Haley

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