How airstrike on Iranian general unfolded in Baghdad

Four precision missiles were fired from a deadly remote-controlled 4,900 pound U.S. drone, decimating a convoy that Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran's Quds force, was traveling in and tearing his body 'to shreds'. Iranian officials and pro-Iran militia members were among those killed This is the moment an American guided missile struck a convoy of cars carrying Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani along with two Islamic Revolutionary Guards generals, a colonel, and a captain, killing all five MQ-9 Reaper: The unmanned drone that rains Hellfire from 50,000ft and can tear bodies 'to shreds' The devastating US drone has a range of 1,150 miles and is able to to fly at altitudes of 50,000 feet. A senior politician said Soleimani's body was identified by the ring he often wore The strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, which were responsible for the recent attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad Soleimani's killing marks a dramatic escalation in the regional 'shadow war' between Iran and the US and its allies, principally Israel and Saudi Arabia, which could quickly ratchet up tit-for-tat attacks - all the way to the brink of all-out war. This photo released by the Iraqi Prime Minister Press Office shows a burning vehicle at the Baghdad International Airport following an airstrike, in Baghdad, Iraq, early Friday, Jan. 3, 2020 The Pentagon said Thursday that the U.S. military has killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force Images taken after sunup on Friday show the twisted wreckage left behind by the US missile strike on two cars A PMF official said the dead also included its airport protocol officer, identifying him as Mohammed Reda Soleimani, who has led the foreign arm of the Revolutionary Guards and has had a key role in fighting in Syria and Iraq, acquired celebrity status at home and abroad.