Iraqi PM Warns of Devastating War in the Region after US Assassination of Iranian Commander

By Staff, Agencies

The interim prime minister of Iraq condemned the US assassination of a senior Iranian commander, calling it an act of aggression against his country.

Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps elite al-Quds Force, Major General Qassem Soleimani was assassinated at Baghdad airport.

Soleimani was martyred after his convoy was hit by US missiles. A deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces [PMF], the Iraqi popular resistance, was also martyred in the same airstrike.

In a statement on Friday, the caretaker leader of Iraqi government, Adil Abdul Mahdi, said the US assassination operation was a "flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty" and an insult to the dignity of his country.

He warned that the crime may trigger a major escalation of violence and result in "a devastating war in Iraq" that will spill out into the region.

The Iraqi government has called on the parliament to hold an emergency session to discuss an appropriate response, Mahdi said.