I am not sure saying Soleimani was in Iraq to fight Sunni extremists is exactly accurate. It was definitely part of his role there, but the US did not kill him because he was fighting a group undermining what the US was trying to do there.
Wasn't the recent strike in Pakistan in response to the suicide bombing? If Afghanistan was the nexus, why would they hit Pakistan?
Otherwise, the article is very comprehensive and complete. Appreciate the effort and helping people gain insights into the world.
Hi Dean. Not to speak for Uday, but I edited the article and here are a couple things:
1) It doesn't say Soleimani was in Iraq to fight Sunni extremists on the day he was killed (although his support for Shi'a militias who did fight Sunni groups there is well documented), it says that he was assassinated there and that he previously oversaw a campaign to support groups that were fighting Sunni extremists. His support for Shi'a militias against Sunni extremists had nothing to do with his being killed by the US, but the fact that he led this campaign helps to explain why the ISKP would target his memorial four years later.
2) The recent Iranian strike on Pakistan was likely not mentioned for this reason. Afghanistan is not necessarily the nexus behind Jaish al-Adl and other Baloch seperatist groups, but it plays a role as the predominantly Baloch border region between Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan is porous and allows for the free movement of people and weapons.
Dean thanks for the comment, and Adam thanks for the clarification - I'm on the same page. I'd just add for the second point that Iran hit Pakistan in a show of force, not necessarily a tactical reason, and the de-escalation was quick. They could not hit ISKP in Afghanistan because then the blowback from an actor like the Taliban could be very unpredictable, more so than Pakistan.
I appreciate the response and the engagement on the ideas.
The team is doing a great job providing people information and context that is difficult to pull together. There is a mountain of things to dig through and the time required to sift through it and the duration to build a complete picture is not something most people enjoy doing.
Love getting this additional context.
I am not sure saying Soleimani was in Iraq to fight Sunni extremists is exactly accurate. It was definitely part of his role there, but the US did not kill him because he was fighting a group undermining what the US was trying to do there.
Wasn't the recent strike in Pakistan in response to the suicide bombing? If Afghanistan was the nexus, why would they hit Pakistan?
Otherwise, the article is very comprehensive and complete. Appreciate the effort and helping people gain insights into the world.
Hi Dean. Not to speak for Uday, but I edited the article and here are a couple things:
1) It doesn't say Soleimani was in Iraq to fight Sunni extremists on the day he was killed (although his support for Shi'a militias who did fight Sunni groups there is well documented), it says that he was assassinated there and that he previously oversaw a campaign to support groups that were fighting Sunni extremists. His support for Shi'a militias against Sunni extremists had nothing to do with his being killed by the US, but the fact that he led this campaign helps to explain why the ISKP would target his memorial four years later.
2) The recent Iranian strike on Pakistan was likely not mentioned for this reason. Afghanistan is not necessarily the nexus behind Jaish al-Adl and other Baloch seperatist groups, but it plays a role as the predominantly Baloch border region between Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan is porous and allows for the free movement of people and weapons.
Hope this helps to clarify
Dean thanks for the comment, and Adam thanks for the clarification - I'm on the same page. I'd just add for the second point that Iran hit Pakistan in a show of force, not necessarily a tactical reason, and the de-escalation was quick. They could not hit ISKP in Afghanistan because then the blowback from an actor like the Taliban could be very unpredictable, more so than Pakistan.
I appreciate the response and the engagement on the ideas.
The team is doing a great job providing people information and context that is difficult to pull together. There is a mountain of things to dig through and the time required to sift through it and the duration to build a complete picture is not something most people enjoy doing.
No problem: we live for this stuff. Thanks for the feedback!