Iranian, Iraqi officials killed in U.S. airstrike

A U.S. airstrike on Baghdad's international airport has killed Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis among others.

The Pentagon has confirmed the airstrike, saying U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the killing of Soleimani.

"At the direction of the President, the U.S. military has taken decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force," read a statement by the Defense Department.

"This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans. The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world," the statement added. 

Soleimani was an Iranian major general in Iran's IRGC, and since 1998 the commander of the Quds Force, which is in charge of extraterritorial military and clandestine operations.

Al-Muhandis was one of the Iran-backed paramilitary leaders in Iraq. He was the de facto commander of the Hashd Shaabi Forces in Iraq, who headed the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades as well.

U.S. media reports said Soleimani and representatives from Iran-backed militias were leaving the airport in two cars when they were hit by a U.S. drone strike.

The strike came days after protesters attacked the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, clashing with U.S. forces, which the Pentagon said was approved by Soleimani.