Reports of new late-night U.S. airstrikes north of Baghdad are starting to be confirmed.  According to developing reports a convoy of two or three vehicles carrying Iran-back Shia Militia leaders was targeted near Taji in Northern Baghdad. [Convoy pic below]

The strike is reported to have killed Qais Khazali, one of the people the US named as responsible for storming of US Embassy in Baghdad.  Also Shibl al-Zaydi is now confirmed to have been killed. Shibl was the leader of Kata’ib al-Imam Ali or the Imam Ali Battalions.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Air strikes targeting Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces umbrella grouping of Iran-backed Shi’ite militias near camp Taji north of Baghdad have killed six people and critically wounded three, an Iraqi army source said late on Friday.
Two of the three vehicles making up a militia convoy were found burned, the source said, as well as six burned corpses. The strikes took place at 1:12 am local time, he said. (link)

It would appear the U.S. has ongoing excellent intelligence on the movements of key Iranian militia leadership operating in Iraq, and are now working through a list of those targets as they attempt to move around.
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Details are starting to emerge about the killing of Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force.  As with all early reports a modicum of skepticism toward the details should be applied. However, here’s the expanded reporting from the Associated Press.

BAGHDAD (AP) — The Pentagon said Thursday that the U.S. military has killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, at the direction of President Donald Trump.

An airstrike killed Soleimani, architect of Iran’s regional security apparatus, at Baghdad’s international airport Friday, Iranian state television and three Iraqi officials said, an attack that’s expected to draw severe Iranian retaliation against Israel and American interests.

The Defense Department said Soleimani “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.” It also accused Soleimani of approving the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad earlier this week.

A statement released late Thursday by the Pentagon said the strike on Soleimani “was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans.”

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There is a lot of background information surfacing about the London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan and the attack he carried out yesterday in the U.K.   However, one of the epic heroes who took down the terrorist is worth a highlight.
A Polish chef named Lukasz was working at Fishmongers Hall near the scene when he saw the terrorist attacking.  Lukasz grabbed a 5 foot narwhal whale tusk from the wall and used it as a makeshift lance while another bystander used a fire extinguisher to confront and ultimately take down the attacker.

A twenty-first century Polish chef using a narwhal tusk as a lance to stop a jihadist. Could you find a modern act of bravery more legendary and connected to the history of the tenth century Polish people?   I think not.  Simply, epic.
According to The Daily Mail “Lukasz is thought to have suffered from cuts but is not critically injured.” (READ)
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Two people were killed and up to five more stabbed as a terrorist used two knives to attack the public in London, England.  The attack happened near (and on) the London Bridge and the terrorist wore a dummy explosives vest.   Members of the general public tackled and disarmed the terrorist until police arrived moments later and shot him.
British authorities have confirmed the attack was a terrorist incident.  London Mayor Sadiq Khan has promised the British people he will write a strong letter of condemnation.

(Via Daily Mail) – Two innocent members of the public have died after a knifeman went on a rampage this afternoon in London.
Armed police shot dead a knifeman wearing a fake suicide vest today after he stabbed up to five people in a shocking terrorist attack as frightened crowds fled the scene.
Witnesses on the scene said the man had been brandishing two knives and had attacked people on the north side of London Bridge before running into the centre at around 2pm.

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Earlier today representatives John Ratcliffe and Doug Collins react to the successful operation to capture/kill Baghdadi along with recent events surrounding the John Durham investigation shifting into a criminal probe.
First, John Ratcliffe discusses the killing of Baghdadi and the possibility of criminal indictments as the Durham investigation focuses on the origin of the Russia investigation.
[wpvideo HHJ5dC26]
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Additionally, Doug Collins discusses current events:
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Kayla Mueller (pictured below) was an American aid worker who traveled to the Turkey/Syria border to work with the organization Support to Life which assisted families forced to flee their homes.  Kayla was taken hostage by ISIS in Aleppo, Syria, in 2013; brutalized and confirmed murdered in 2015.  Her body has never been recovered.
Earlier today, following the announcement of the military operation that successfully killed the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, President Donald Trump made calls to families of U.S. victims.  The operation to kill/capture al-Baghdadi was named for Kayla:

(Via NBC) The Muellers received the official confirmation of Baghdadi’s death in listening to Trump’s news conference Sunday morning. They praised and thanked the President, the US military and special forces for taking action.
“We were deeply touched by what he said. We were grateful that they didn’t mess around and went right in,” Marsha Mueller said in a phone interview.

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Generally speaking I wouldn’t recommend watching a Chuck Todd interview especially when he’s grieving the loss of one of his own; however, this interview with National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien provides some insight into why he was selected by President Trump for the very important position.
As to Todd’s disposition… do you remember those press briefings from Saudi Arabia during Operation Dessert Storm in 1991?  The briefings where the media would shout: “where exactly are our troops located, and when will they be moving”?  Or “can you tell us exactly how many troops are positioned near the Kuwait border, how many marines will be coming ashore; and exactly what time they will be arriving?” ….
If you remember watching that stuff; and if you remember General Schwarzkopf’s belittling responses therein; this interview with Chuck Todd will have a ring of familiarity:

Vice-President and military father, Mike Pence, appears on Fox News Sunday to discuss his reaction to the elimination of ISIS terrorist Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

THE PRESIDENT: Last night, the United States brought the world’s number one terrorist leader to justice. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead. He was the founder and leader of ISIS, the most ruthless and violent terror organization anywhere in the world.

The United States has been searching for Baghdadi for many years. Capturing or killing Baghdadi has been the top national security priority of my administration. U.S. Special Operations Forces executed a dangerous and daring nighttime raid in northwestern Syria and accomplished their mission in grand style. The U.S. personnel were incredible. I got to watch much of it.

No personnel were lost in the operation, while a large number of Baghdadi’s fighters and companions were killed with him. He died after running into a dead-end tunnel, whimpering and crying and screaming all the way. The compound had been cleared by this time, with people either surrendering or being shot and killed. Eleven young children were moved out of the house and are uninjured. The only ones remaining were Baghdadi in the tunnel, and he had dragged three of his young children with him. They were led to certain death.

He reached the end of the tunnel, as our dogs chased him down. He ignited his vest, killing himself and the three children. His body was mutilated by the blast. The tunnel had caved in on it, in addition. But test results gave certain immediate and totally positive identification. It was him.

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Reactions vary to the U.S. killing of ISIS terrorist chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.  However, perhaps the most alarming headline was the sympathetic obituary from The Washington Post:

The Washington Post was not alone in their sympathy over the killing of the brutal terrorist.  Bloomberg News also followed quickly with deep sympathies for the death of a leader who “transformed himself” into a “teacher of Koranic recitation”:
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