America to send 3,000 more troops to Middle East after Soleimani assassination, #iraq #Soleimani #america

Iran has threatened retaliation after Soleimani and his entourage were killed in a US airstrike in the Iraqi capital

The strike has prompted Iran to threaten revenge

The US will send 3,000 more troops to the Middle East after

the airstrike that killed Iranian military chief General Qassem Soleimani left the region on the brink of war.

Iran has threatened retaliation after Soleimani - tipped as a future leader - and members of his entourage were killed in a US airstrike moments after landing at Baghdad International Airport.

The airstrike has been condemned by Iraq, which said the attack could "spark a devastating war in Iraq".

Cities in the US have raised their terror alert levels amid fears of fresh attacks.

But US President Donald Trump has defended the strike, saying Soleimani planned attacks against Americans, and said he should have been taken out years ago.

Iran has branded the airstrike an 'assassination', and Hezbollah has vowed fresh attacks "with the blessing of (Soleimani's) pure blood".

The US claimed Soleimani was planning attacks on American diplomats and troops in Iraq, and President Donald Trump said he should have been "taken out" many years ago.

The attack could have brought Iraq to the brink of war, the country's prime minister warned

Iraqi prime minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi said the airstrike could "spark a devastating

 war in Iraq", and branded the US action a "brazen violation of Iraq's sovereignty".

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that "severe revenge awaits

 the criminals" behind the strike and announced three days of national mourning.

Two senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard figures, Brigadier General Hussein 

Jafari Nia and Major-General Hadi Taremi also died in the blasts.

US military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the
troops would be joining the roughly 750 forces that were sent to
Kuwait earlier this week.

US officials told Reuters earlier this week that thousands
of additional troops could be sent to the region and had been
told to prepare to deploy.

Source: dailystar