{"id":57151,"date":"2020-01-08T06:11:57","date_gmt":"2020-01-08T06:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/01\/08\/killing-of-iran-general-risks-us-gains-against-islamic-state\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:48:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:48:49","slug":"killing-of-iran-general-risks-us-gains-against-islamic-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/01\/08\/killing-of-iran-general-risks-us-gains-against-islamic-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Killing of Iran general risks US gains against Islamic State"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 President Donald Trump\u2019s national security team knew that killing Iran\u2019s most powerful general could hurt efforts to mop up and head off any revival of the Islamic State militant group \u2014 and that is just what has happened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two days after Gen. Qassem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad, the U.S. troops in Iraq to fight the Islamic State are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2020\/01\/08\/iran-says-fierce-attack-has-begun-as-rockets-hit-iraq-bases-with-american-troops\/\" target=\"_blank\">now focused on their own defense<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/01\/06\/us-bases-on-heightened-security-alert-following-soleimani-killing\/\" target=\"_blank\">guarding American bases<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/01\/01\/militiamen-withdraw-from-us-embassy-but-iraq-tensions-linger\/\" target=\"_blank\">the U.S. Embassy<\/a> from an expected Iranian response. The fight against the militants is now on hold, and a Trump foreign policy achievement is in doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen we looked at this operation we knew there would be consequences,\u201d said Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. \u201cWe knew there\u2019d be risk.\u201d But he said the threat of attack on U.S. interests was too great to not act. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Islamic State evolved in Syria after U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq in 2011; its fighters swept back across the border in 2014, captured wide swaths of western and northern Iraq and imposed brutal rule over a self-declared \u201ccaliphate.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A U.S.-led coalition finally ousted the group from<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/23\/us-allied-syrian-force-declares-victory-over-islamic-state\/\" target=_blank> the last of its territory in Syria<\/a> in March 2019, but thousands of fighters scattered throughout the region and continue to pose a threat. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2019\/10\/21\/brett-mcgurk-warns-that-isis-threats-are-likely-to-reemerge\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"195\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Brett.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Brett McGurk warns that ISIS threats are likely to reemerge<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">\u201cI think the ability of the United States to hold the SDF intact, which is critical to mitigating the risk of an ISIS resurgence, is draining by the day,\u201d McGurk said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defense Secretary Mark Esper agreed on Tuesday that \u201cthe suspension of activities in Iraq\u201d against IS was foreseen as a possible outcome of killing of Soleimani. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two days after a missile launched from a U.S. drone killed the general in Baghdad on Jan. 3, shortly after he arrived, the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq announced a pause in its years-long partnership with Iraqi forces against IS remnants. The focus shifted to protecting coalition troops and the U.S. Embassy, in anticipation that Iran would try to avenge Soleimani\u2019s death by attacking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ketti Davison, a retired Army intelligence officer with experience in Iraq, said there is no doubt that the fight against the militants has been undercut. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe counter-ISIS campaign was already strained,\u201d said Davison, an intelligence expert at the Institute for the Study of War. The effort in Syria has been hampered since Turkey invaded northern Syria in October, complicating U.S. cooperation with Kurdish fighters and giving the Russian military a wider role in the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin showed up in Damascus for a meeting with President Bashar Assad. Official statements during the previously unannounced visit made no mention Soleimani, but the timing was conspicuous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Iraq campaign also has been sidetracked by recent civil unrest that diverted the attention of Iraqi security forces previously focused on IS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe counter-ISIS mission is truly at risk, not just in the short term,\u201d Davison said, adding, \u201cIt\u2019s hard to see how we can stay on the offensive with our Iraqi partners to defeat ISIS in this kind of circumstance.\u201d To complicate matters further, the U.S. military presence in Iraq forms the logistical support foundation for U.S. efforts in neighboring Syria. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. has 650-750 troops in eastern Syria working with a local group known as the Syrian Democratic Forces to continue the fight against the Islamic State. It was unclear Tuesday the extent to which the suspension of U.S. and coalition support operations in Iraq will limit operations in Syria. Esper said he has received no indication from commanders of a \u201cmaterial impact\u201d in Syria. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump on Tuesday called Soleimani \u201ca monster\u201d who deserved to be killed, adding that Soleimani was planning \u201ca very big attack.\u201d He and others have said U.S. intelligence showed that danger clearly, but they have not provided details. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And in the aftermath, the durability of the defeat of IS in doubt, and the extremist group has new breathing room. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20007720000639.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Donald Trump\" class=\"wp-image-32268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20007720000639.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20007720000639.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20007720000639.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20007720000639.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20007720000639.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Donald Trump listens to a question during a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, in Washington. (Alex Brandon\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although the U.S. military during the Obama administration developed and began executing the strategy that eventually eliminated the IS group\u2019s hold on large portions of eastern Syria and northern and western Iraq, Trump has insisted he deserves full credit for the territorial defeat. He has made it a feature of his reelection campaign, but national security experts say the group\u2019s remnants in Syria as well as Iraq are still a threat and could stage a comeback. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is why the U.S. and its coalition partners have remained in Iraq. Iran\u2019s longtime goal has been to force the U.S. out, giving it a freer hand there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat and a former Pentagon and CIA official, said Soleimani was the architect of that Iranian strategy. If the Iraqi government ends up expelling U.S. troops, Soleimani will have achieved his goal, she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf we do indeed get officially asked to leave Iraq, we will need robust diplomacy to outline a plan with the Iraqi government that maximizes pressure on ISIS and allows us time to safely withdraw in a way that doesn\u2019t cost the U.S. in blood and treasure,\u201d Slotkin said Monday. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/01\/07\/esper-doubles-down-on-no-withdrawal-from-iraq-but-heres-how-it-could-unfold\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Marine-Syria.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Esper doubles down on no withdrawal from Iraq, but here\u2019s how it could unfold<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Trump\u2019s erratic Middle East policy has often left American forces scrambling to react to swift and sudden policy changes. In Syria, coalition forces destroyed equipment, blew vehicles in place and bombed parts of their own outposts.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Germany, Canada and some other U.S. allies have moved some of their troops out of Iraq, citing an increased security risk, but Esper said he is pleased by the commitments of allied governments to remaining in the counter-IS coalition. He took to Twitter to thank Italy for keeping forces in Baghdad, where tensions are running high. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. had about 5,200 troops in Iraq before the Soleimani killing, mostly to train and advise Iraqi security forces in their campaign against IS fighters who are attempting to reconstitute. The U.S. troop total is now in flux as some trainers are flown out of the country and additional security forces come in. Those movements led to an international incident Monday when a U.S. officer seemed to announce that U.S. forces were withdrawing, prompting Milley and Esper to address reporters at the Pentagon to deny there was any withdrawal plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Iraqi Parliament on Sunday passed a nonbinding resolution calling for the expulsion of all foreign forces. On Tuesday, Iraq\u2019s outgoing prime minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, said the United States has no choice but to pull its troops out of the country. Trump, however, told reporters in the Oval Office that he has no intention of withdrawing yet. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Donald Trump\u2019s national security team knew that killing Iran\u2019s most powerful general could hurt efforts to mop up and head off any revival of the Islamic State militant group \u2014 and that is just what has happened.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":99174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,93,12,25,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2487],"class_list":["post-57151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"ZPME3GQZHNBRNBFNIOLHUHUQAY","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2020\/01\/08\/killing-of-iran-general-risks-us-gains-against-islamic-state\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Killing of Iran general risks US gains against Islamic State - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"President Donald Trump\u2019s national security team knew that killing Iran\u2019s most powerful general could hurt efforts to mop up and head off any revival of the Islamic State militant group \u2014 and that is just what has happened.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/01\/08\/killing-of-iran-general-risks-us-gains-against-islamic-state\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" 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