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Trump ordered the Baghdad strike that killed Soleimani; a UN expert found the stated legal basis wanting

Reporting and findings

  1. documented

    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.

  2. reported

    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.

Summary and current status

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.

Strike completed; UN expert analysis remains non-adjudicative.

People and organizations

Relationships in this file

  1. Donald J. Trumpdirected strike that killedQasem Soleimani

Figures

  1. Cross-border uses of force1 strike event
    Calculation details
    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.