ISIS welcomes Soleimani assassination

ISIS has welcomed the US killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani as an act of “divine intervention” that will allow the terror gang to regroup, reports Express, UK.

However the group maintains a powerful presence in both countries and is reportedly attempting to regroup. Following the killing of Soleimani western programmes to train Iraqi forces have been greatly reduced due to security concerns.

The Iraqi Parliament also passed a non-binding vote calling for US troops to leave Iraq.

President Trump has said Iran was planning to target four US embassies before the strike on Soleimani.

Asked about the threat on Fox News he said: “I can reveal that I believe it probably would’ve been four embassies.”

Soleimani was head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force and a powerful figure within Iran.

He has been accused of organising attacks on American, British and Israeli targets.

According to reports he was targeted by the SAS in 2007, but a planned mission to kill or capture him over his role in the killings of UK soldiers in southern Iraq was blocked.

ISIS captured significant chunks of Syria and Iraq during a series of lightening offensives in 2014.

They butchered or enslaved thousands from minority communities or anyone else who opposed their rule.

The terror group would go on to organise or inspire a wave of terrorist attacks right across the world.

Shia militia groups, organised with the assistance of Soleimani and Iran, helped to stem the groups advance.

However more recently Iranian backed Shia militia groups have been accused of butchering protestors demonstrating against the Iranian presence in Iraq.

ISIS used its weekly newspaper to welcome the killing of Soleimani.

It argued the conflict between the US and Iran would weaken both, allowing ISIS to reemerge.

Following Soleimani’s killing the US suspended training of the Iraqi army to concentrate on its troops safety.

Britain also moved some of its troops to safer parts of the country whilst German military trainers were withdrawn to Jordan and Kuwait.

Trump claimed Soleimani was killed to prevent more attacks on US targets.

He said: “Qassem Soleimani was actively planning new attacks.

“He was looking very seriously at our embassies and not just the embassy in Baghdad.

“We stopped him, we stopped him quickly and we stopped him cold.

“He was a bad guy and a bloodthirsty terror.

Following the killing Iranian missiles hit two bases in Iraq housing US troops but didn’t cause any casualties.