Trump’s U.S. airstrike sparks tensions
BY ALGENON CASH
Qassem Soleimani,
an Iranian major general
in the Islamic Revolu
tionary Guard Corps and
commander of its Quds
Force, was killed in a tar
geted U.S. drone strike
on January 3 in Bagh
dad, Iraq. President Don
ald Trump approved the
military action under the
justification that Solei
mani posed an “imminent
threat” to American lives
and overseas interests.
Soleimani is alleged
to have handled clandes
tine activities outside Iran;
led powerful Shiite mili
tias embedded in Iraq and
encouraged his allies to
attack U.S. targets in the
country. The Trump Ad
ministration also believes
that Soleimani supplied
militia commanders with
sophisticated new weap
ons, including Katyusha
rockets, shoulder-fired
missiles, and a specialized
drone capable of eluding
radar systems.
Iran’s influence in the
region has grown expo
nentially as the country
fought alongside Ameri
cans to defeat ISIS, but
lately Iraqis have been
staging mass protests
against the Islamic Repub
lic. Soleimani hoped to re
verse the tide by attacking
American forces and pro
voking a military response
that would redirect the
rising protests toward the
United States.
The Pentagon and CIA
described Soleimani as
“the single most powerful
Submitted photo
U.S. airstrike kills Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Quds Force.
operative in the Middle
East today” and the central
strategist in Iran’s effort to
promote the expansion of
Shiite influence through
out the region. Most Irani
ans regarded Soleimani as
the second most powerful
official in Iran after Su
preme Leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei.
Former Central Com
mand Commander and
CIA Director David Pe
traeus called the killing of
Qassem Soleimani “bigger
than the death of Osama
bin Laden.”
One crown jewel of the
Obama legacy is negotiat
ing the Joint Comprehen
sive Plan of Action, more
commonly known as the
2015 nuclear deal with
Iran, which required Irani
ans to cut or eliminate its
stockpile of enriched ura
nium, reduce the number
of centrifuges that could
be used to further enrich
uranium for nuclear weap
ons, and agree not to con
struct additional facilities.
Trump withdrew the
United States from JCPOA
in May 2018.
Later in the same year,
Trump imposed a fresh
round of sanctions against
Iran to cripple the country
economically and prevent
its support for militant
groups in the region. In
April 2019, Trump offi
cially designated the Rev
olutionary Guards a terror
ist organization; the group
has around 125,000 mili
tary personnel engaged in
ground, air, and naval ac
tivity.
Tensions have contin
ued to rise between Iran
and America - Iranian
supported Shiite militias
launched four rockets at
a base near Baghdad In
ternational Airport that
wounded five members of
Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism
Service, then Shiite mili
tias attacked the K-1 Air
Base in Iraq, killing an
American contractor and
wounding four Ameri
cans. The U.S. responded
by launching airstrikes
across Iraq and Syria, kill
ing 25 and wounded 55
Kataib Hezbollah militia
men. Days later the same
militia attacked the U.S.
embassy in Baghdad.
The latter action result
ed in Trump considering a
stronger and more extreme
response to Iran’s provoca
tions. Ultimately deciding
the rewards outweighed
the risk of removing a high
level figure, a MQ-9 Reap
er drone attacked Solei-
mani’s convoy after short
ly arriving at Baghdad
International Airport. The
operation killed 10 people,
including Soleimani and
his chief ally Abu Mahdi
al-Muhandis.
This was the first time
the U.S. killed a ma
jor military leader since
American pilots shot down
the plane of Japanese Ad
miral Isoroku Yamamoto
in World War II.
Trump’s quick lurch
to lethal military action
was unexpected. It is an
ticipated that taking out
a high value target could
only stoke rising tensions
in the region. Trump grew
motivated to seek options
to severely damage Iran’s
enlarging influence cam
paign.
Administration and
Pentagon officials were
stunned Trump chose such
a strong-handed response
to Iranian-led violence in
Iraq, with Congress frus
trated about POTUS not
seeking their approval to
conduct a military exer
cise targeting a top foreign
leader.
Trump defended the
airstrike by stating the
intelligence community
gathered data revealing
Soleimani was involved
in planning imminent at
tacks targeting Americans
in Iraq, Syria, and Leba
non. But little concrete
evidence has been shared
with Congressional lead
ers, international partners,
media, or the American
people.
The Obama Adminis
tration designated Solei
mani a terrorist in 2011
after accusing the general
of a plot to kill the am
bassador of Saudi Ara
bia. Trump compares the
military response against
Soleimani to actions taken
by the Obama administra-
See Trump on A2
Large crowd attends annual Emancipation Service
Six students receive $1,000 scholarships
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
More than 100 people
brought in the New Year
reflecting on the past and
looking toward the future
during the annual Eman
cipation Service held last
week.
Every year on New
Year’s Day, the Winston-
Salem/Forsyth County
Emancipation Associa
tion holds a ceremony to
remember the signing of
the Emancipation Procla-
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mation, which was signed
by President Abraham
Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863.
The service is held at a
different church every
year and this year it was
held at New Bethel Bap
tist Church where Rev. Dr.
Kendall Jones is the pas
tor. Rev. Jones also deliv
ered the keynote address.
While addressing the
congregation on Wednes
day morning, Jones dis
cussed slavery and how
some are still barred by
the “psychological chains”
that it created and how it
still exists today. He said,
“Here on the first day of
2020 we celebrate the
emancipation of 3.5 mil
lion slaves. While we sit
here celebrating eman
cipation, there are more
today who are mentally
shackled by the residue of
slavery on both sides of
See Emancipation on A2
Photo by Tevin Stinson
Last week the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Emancipation Association continued their tradition of hosting the
Emmancipation Service on Jan. 1. This year the service was held at New Bethel Baptist Church.
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