Trump ordered the Baghdad strike that killed Soleimani; a UN expert found the stated legal basis wanting
The Defense Department said the U.S. military killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad at Trump's direction. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings later concluded that, absent evidence of a sufficiently imminent threat, the strike was an arbitrary killing and violated the U.N. Charter's prohibition on force. That conclusion was a mandate-holder's legal analysis, not a court judgment or war-crime conviction.
Entities and roles
- Qasem Soleimaniperson killed in the strike
- Donald J. Trumppresident directing the strike
Claims and evidence
- factdocumented
The Defense Department announced that, at Trump's direction, the U.S. military killed IRGC-Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in a strike in Baghdad.
- U.S. Department of Defense: Statement by the Department of DefenseDepartment statement announcing strike at the president's direction
- analysisreported
The U.N. Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings concluded that the United States had not shown the required imminent threat, making the strike an arbitrary killing under human-rights law and a violation of Article 2(4) of the U.N. Charter.
- United Nations Human Rights Council: Use of armed drones for targeted killings: report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, A/HRC/44/38Paragraphs 60–79 and conclusions concerning the Soleimani strike
Measurements
Cross-border uses of force1 strike event - Basis
- Observed
- Population
- The January 3, 2020 U.S. strike in Baghdad that killed Qasem Soleimani
- Period
- 2020-01-03 to 2020-01-03
- Method
- Counted the discrete cross-border strike event announced by the Defense Department.
- Uncertainty
- Counts the event, not every munition, casualty, or legal theory.