On January 3, 2020, the US carried out a drone strike near B…
On January 3, 2020, the US carried out a drone strike near Baghdad International Airport which targeted and killed Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, a branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Even though the US and Iran are not at war, the US Defense Department announced that the strike was carried out in order to “protect United States personnel, to deter Iran from conducting or supporting further attacks against United States forces and interests, to degrade Iran’s and Quds Force-backed militias’ ability to conduct attacks, and to end Iran’s strategic escalation of attacks on and threats to United States interests.” Was this military strike legal according to the laws of war? Why or why not? (6 points)