Iraq Has Reasons To Celebrate With Qasem Soleimani Gone

Is Trump's action short sighted, egoistic and a call for a disaster for the world? 

Iraqis seem to be dancing on the streets after the death of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, according to a video grab shared by the US Secretary of the State Mike Pompeo in his latest tweet.

Iraqi civilians have various reasons to celebrate the death of
Iranian Commander Qasem Soleimani

Undeniably, Iraq civilians had be troubled with constant interference from Iraqi government. In the midst of a civil disobedience that had gripped Iraq, it was confirmed that Qasem Soleimani had flown into Baghdad to convince Amiri and his militia leaders to keep supporting Abdul Mahdi, the now acting PM of Iraq whose leadership was under threat of being oust.

Soleimani’s direct intervention was a sign that Iran was directly influencing and meddling with Baghdad’s political scene. Iraqi population has been aware of this influence and has been asking for a complete new government representation that is not influenced by rich political elite or the Iranian muscle.

Soleimani’s Quds forces have continued to coordinate Tehran-backed militias in Iraq, Syria (supporting President Bashar Assad) and Lebanon. He was known to be a frequent visitor to Iraq.  For Israel, the Middle East and the US, Soleimani had been a shadowy figure in command of Iran’s proxy forces. He was openly responsible for fighters for the deaths of American troops in Iraq as well, not to mention, to continue to add fuel to raging civil wars in countries like Lebanon, Iraq and Syria.  Despite repeated requests from UN, Iran continued to fuel these conflicts through Soleimani acting as the point of contact.

Since coming into scene in 2011, Soleimani had systematically engaged in offensive battles and furthered Iran’s selfish agenda of an Islamic revolution. At one point of time, he made a statement that “the unrest and uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa provide our (Iran’s) revolution with the greatest opportunities ... Our boundaries have expanded, and we must witness victory in Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria.”

 Trump seemed to have been speaking out the mind of many when he made a public statement saying that this tyrant “should have been taken out many years ago.”

It might be the right timing for Trump administration to handle what is going to come off this bold elimination. For one, Iran will respond back as it is calling it a gross violation of international laws, in a strongly worded letter sent to the UN. Back home, Trump is getting mixed responses.  While Republicans are clapping for Trump, Democrats have their reservations.  Former vice president Joe Biden, who leads the pack of Democratic contenders, made a statement stating, “President Trump just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox. We needed to de-esclate the war, not add more fuel to it.”

Richard Haass, president of the US-based Council on Foreign Relations, took to Twitter and said, “Make no mistake: any war with Iran will not look like the 1990 Gulf war or the 2003 Iraq war. The region (and possibly the world) will be the battlefield.”

On the whole, Trump’s action is like all his previous actions- reckless, selfish and short sighted.