Thread by @MPPregent

Soleimani prolonged the Iraq War through an infiltration campaign, and solidified his control of Baghdad during the ISIS campaign. During the Iraq War. At the strategic level, Soleimani prolonged the war in Iraq by slowly taking over Iraq’s Political, Military, and

Foreign Policy portfolio.

The goal, to ensure any future Iraqi government’s decisions would be Tehran’s.

At the operational level, Soleimani directed a killing campaign against Sunni Iraqis that made it look like the U.S. was complicit.

The killers wore the Iraqi uniform.

U.S. partner units in the nascent Iraqi Army and Federal police went on a sectarian killing spree while wearing the uniforms of the American backed security forces.

Soleimani’s strategy was to have his militia leaders penetrate key positions in the Ministry of Defense and

the Ministry of Interior, and carve out whole intelligence agencies that would go after threats to Iran.

This wasn’t a campaign solely against Al Qaeda in Iraq, later to become the Islamic State in Iraq & then ISIS.

This was a campaign to negate any Sunni threat to Iran from Iraq – to target anyone even remotely a challenge to Tehran’s control of Baghdad’s government.

He succeeded and the U.S. exited Iraq.

The ISIS campaign.

Soleimani hijacks a Sistani Fatwa.

The U.S. ignored Soleimani's growing influence, while praising the militias he commanded through Mohandes and Ameri as partners and heroes in the ISIS campaign.

To Sunnis and Kurds, the U.S. helped Soleimani destroy Sunni cities, marginalize whole population centers, take control of Baghdad, and took Soleimani's side to betray an ally.

All of Baghdad's decisions were Soleimani's, and the U.S. helped him by pretending he wasn't there.

The "Shadow General" was out in the open taking selfies after every victory against ISIS, the U.S. acted as if he was still in the shadows.

more to come…