The US is ready to react if Iran attempts to launch an attack in the anniversary of Qassem Soleimani murder
The head of US forces in the Middle East alerted that Washington is prepared to react if Tehran launches an assault in the first anniversary of the influential Iranian General Qasem Soleimani killing.
General Kenneth McKenzie, who heads the US Central Command (Centcom), informed journalists: We are prepared to defend ourselves, our friends and partners in the region, and we’re ready to react if necessary. He was actually around the region weeks before the anniversary of the January 3, 2020 murder of Soleimani by a US drone raid next to the Baghdad airport.
McKenzie, a four-star marine general, informed a small group of journalists in a telephone interview from an unknown location in the region: My assessment is we are in a perfect position, and we’ll be prepared for anything the Iranians or their proxies acting for them might choose to do.
He related that he recently was in Baghdad, and he gathered there the head of the anti-jihadist coalition, American General Paul Calvert, as well as the Iraqi army chief of staff, General Abdul Amir Yarallah.
The Centcom commander also said that he also visited Syria to meet with American forces propagated in the small southern base at Al-Tanf, near Jordan and Iraq borders.
In a clear indication of the US military leaders’ concerns about Iranian intentions after Soleimani’s murder, McKenzie’s present visit was not declared before.
Furthermore, visits during the last week by General Mark Milley, who is the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Afghanistan, were remain secret until he had left the region. McKenzie also related: I talk to my commanders about it every day and I think we will be ready.
While the US Army continues troop removals from Iraq and Afghanistan under the order of President Donald Trump, aiming to reduce about 2,500 in each country by January 15, the Pentagon has substantially strengthened its stance around Iraq to prevent Iran from launching any assault.
The aircraft ship USS Nimitz has been guarding Gulf waters since late November. Two American B-52 bombers recently overflew around the region showing clearly the power of Iran and its allies.
According to Iraqi security forces, many missiles exploded on Sunday near the US embassy in Baghdad, which caused material damage without any victims.
In fact, it was the third assault on American military and diplomatic installations since an unfixed truce that was agreed with pro-Iranian groups in October.
