Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:04 AM
True_Blue (3,063 posts)
CIA chief 'behind Soleimani's assassination' killed in downed plane in Afghanistan
Source: Middle East Monitor
Russian intelligence sources have claimed that Michael D’Andrea, head of CIA operations in Iran and who orchestrated the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, was killed in a US spy plane downed yesterday in Ghazni, Afghanistan. The plane with US Air Force markings reportedly served as the CIA’s mobile command for D’Andrea, who earnt several nicknames including: Ayatollah Mike, the Dark Prince, and the Undertaker. He is one of the most prominent CIA figures in the region, appointed head of the agency’s Iran Mission Centre in 2017. Under his leadership, the agency was perceived to take a more “aggressive stance toward Iran”. The Taliban claimed to have shot down the plane but have yet to provide evidence, whilst the US has denied the claim but has acknowledged the loss of a Bombardier E-11A plane in central Afghanistan. Graphic images online have already circulated purportedly showing some of the charred remains of those on board. Afghan authorities initially claimed the plane was a state-owned airline, but this was denied by the company, Ariana. Helicopters have been brought down before by the Taliban, but they are not believed to have the capabilities required to bring down a high-flying aircraft. Read more: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200128-cia-chief-behind-soleimanis-assassination-killed-in-downed-plane-in-afghanistan/
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53 replies, 10073 views
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Author | Time | Post |
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True_Blue | Jan 2020 | OP |
DeminPennswoods | Jan 2020 | #1 | |
exboyfil | Jan 2020 | #2 | |
fleur-de-lisa | Jan 2020 | #3 | |
hlthe2b | Jan 2020 | #14 | |
christx30 | Jan 2020 | #38 | |
bigbrother05 | Jan 2020 | #31 | |
Ilsa | Jan 2020 | #4 | |
iluvtennis | Jan 2020 | #5 | |
Nasruddin | Jan 2020 | #6 | |
dalton99a | Jan 2020 | #7 | |
Wellstone ruled | Jan 2020 | #17 | |
Sanity Claws | Jan 2020 | #8 | |
2naSalit | Jan 2020 | #41 | |
Baitball Blogger | Jan 2020 | #9 | |
Lulu KC | Jan 2020 | #10 | |
gab13by13 | Jan 2020 | #16 | |
onetexan | Jan 2020 | #42 | |
marble falls | Jan 2020 | #11 | |
yaesu | Jan 2020 | #12 | |
Sapient Donkey | Jan 2020 | #13 | |
ancianita | Jan 2020 | #35 | |
Bayard | Jan 2020 | #15 | |
Jedi Guy | Jan 2020 | #22 | |
hack89 | Jan 2020 | #18 | |
lostnfound | Jan 2020 | #19 | |
True_Blue | Jan 2020 | #25 | |
barbtries | Jan 2020 | #20 | |
cyndensco | Jan 2020 | #24 | |
Javaman | Jan 2020 | #21 | |
Wednesdays | Jan 2020 | #23 | |
mylightningtoo | Jan 2020 | #26 | |
Duppers | Jan 2020 | #44 | |
Botany | Jan 2020 | #27 | |
SayItLoud | Jan 2020 | #28 | |
crickets | Jan 2020 | #48 | |
OAITW r.2.0 | Jan 2020 | #29 | |
NRaleighLiberal | Jan 2020 | #30 | |
padah513 | Jan 2020 | #34 | |
JustABozoOnThisBus | Jan 2020 | #43 | |
pangaia | Jan 2020 | #32 | |
SunSeeker | Jan 2020 | #33 | |
greenjar_01 | Jan 2020 | #36 | |
James48 | Jan 2020 | #37 | |
Perseus | Jan 2020 | #39 | |
58Sunliner | Jan 2020 | #40 | |
Bradical79 | Jan 2020 | #45 | |
greyl | Jan 2020 | #46 | |
greenjar_01 | Jan 2020 | #49 | |
greyl | Jan 2020 | #50 | |
greenjar_01 | Jan 2020 | #51 | |
roamer65 | Jan 2020 | #47 | |
discntnt_irny_srcsm | Feb 2020 | #53 | |
wishstar | Feb 2020 | #52 |
Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:07 AM
DeminPennswoods (11,728 posts)
1. Live by violence, die by violence
(assuming this report is true)
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Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:07 AM
exboyfil (15,546 posts)
2. I wonder if the Trumpster leaked information
that allowed this plane to be downed. It is not like he can't help bragging.
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Response to exboyfil (Reply #2)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:11 AM
fleur-de-lisa (11,678 posts)
3. It's sad that this is a possibility in the age of trump.
Response to exboyfil (Reply #2)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:31 AM
hlthe2b (84,060 posts)
14. Hardly an unlikely possibility...
Response to hlthe2b (Reply #14)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 01:39 PM
christx30 (6,188 posts)
38. Pretty much a near certainty when the idiot in charge
likes to shoot his mouth off e dry chance he gets. Loved to impress people with the crap he knows about.
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Response to exboyfil (Reply #2)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 12:54 PM
bigbrother05 (5,995 posts)
31. Sources and methods leak when you plan in the restaurant
With all your "friends I've never met before" surrounding you with their phones set to record.
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Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:12 AM
Ilsa (57,541 posts)
4. This is a big deal.
More news on this coming, I'm sure.
Look what trump has got us into. |
Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:12 AM
iluvtennis (14,956 posts)
5. Why haven't we heard anything on this from trump admin - inquiring minds want to know.
trump has started a shit show. there was no reason for him to take out Soleimani.
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Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:13 AM
Nasruddin (508 posts)
6. Interesting
Ghazni is in the Persian language area of Afghanistan. One wonders ....
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Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:17 AM
dalton99a (59,233 posts)
7. Footage of the crashed plane:
Response to dalton99a (Reply #7)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:34 AM
Wellstone ruled (34,661 posts)
17. Interesting Hole in the
Engine. Hmmmm.
This is the DU member formerly known as Wellstone ruled.
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Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:17 AM
Sanity Claws (19,610 posts)
8. Killing those who know things
Putin's tactics done on behalf of Putin's Trump team.
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Response to Sanity Claws (Reply #8)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 02:16 PM
2naSalit (48,013 posts)
41. Couldn't stop that idea
from being the first to enter my mind. I was suspicious when I read about it last night.
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Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:18 AM
Baitball Blogger (37,665 posts)
9. Wow.
Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:22 AM
Lulu KC (2,005 posts)
10. Seems very interesting the day after the rockets hit the US Embassy in Baghdad
And none of this is in the headlines that I'm seeing.
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Response to Lulu KC (Reply #10)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:34 AM
gab13by13 (2,866 posts)
16. Trump needs to get his story straight with Russia,
maybe Russia shot it down? The guy knew too much.
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Response to gab13by13 (Reply #16)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 02:17 PM
onetexan (9,032 posts)
42. spot on, this is much more surreal than any spy movie
chilling at that
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Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:23 AM
marble falls (37,410 posts)
11. Soon to be a fantasy show on Fox.
Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:25 AM
yaesu (5,792 posts)
12. tRump probably couldn't get on the phone fast enough to his love putin to spill the beans. nt
Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:28 AM
Sapient Donkey (1,041 posts)
13. Well that's an interesting coincidence
How often do CIA station chiefs die like this?
If it was shot down and he was targeted, then that must be pretty unnerving to people in certain job roles. How well known was his involvement and how much of the assassination was seen as his thing? If he was the primary name attached to it, is it possible this all some sort of subterfuge to protect him? Too hollywood-thinking? Probably. Never mind. |
Response to Sapient Donkey (Reply #13)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 01:19 PM
ancianita (21,774 posts)
35. Nope. Silence of Western media means you're probably reading it right.
Interesting coincidences keep piling up to the benefit of Putin's Eurasian Project. We need to slot them away for future reference.
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Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:32 AM
Bayard (11,043 posts)
15. Right on time
Knocking off witnesses and co-conspirators. They, "earnt" it (what the hell is that?)
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Response to Bayard (Reply #15)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 12:04 PM
Jedi Guy (1,529 posts)
22. British version of "earned."
I've seen "learned" written as "learnt" in some documents written by people from the UK.
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Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:45 AM
hack89 (38,598 posts)
18. I call bull shit
the plane is a communications relay plane - the system it carries is called Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN). They are a common sight in Afghanstan.
It would not be flying a CIA station head around. It is not a transport plane. Plus the CIA has a fleet of jets of their own. BACN was deployed on a test platform Bombardier BD-700 and originally designated as the RC-700A under the reconnaissance classification. The aircraft was later re-designated as the E-11A under the special electronics installation category.[12] The BD-700 was selected due to its high service ceiling (up to 51,000 ft) and flight duration (up to 12 hours). These flight characteristics are critical in providing unified datalink and voice networks in the mountainous terrain encountered in the current theater of operations. Additional E-11As have been deployed to increase availability and flexibility. These have been used in operations in Afghanistan.[13]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlefield_Airborne_Communications_Node The Air Force has a total of four E-11As, including the one that has now crashed. These planes are based on the Bombardier BD-700 Global Express business jet, which are forward-deployed in Afghanistan assigned to the 430th Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron at Kandahar Airfield.
These aircraft carry the Battlefield Airborne Control Node (BACN) payload, which allows them to act as highly specialized aerial communications nodes that can rapidly shift information to and from a wide variety of airborne platforms and forces on the ground. There are also three EQ-4B Global Hawk drones that carry the BACN package. https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/31969/highly-specialized-air-force-e-11a-communications-aircraft-crashes-and-burns-in-afghanistan |
Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:48 AM
lostnfound (14,749 posts)
19. Any other sources on this? Real or fake news? Nt
Response to lostnfound (Reply #19)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 12:21 PM
True_Blue (3,063 posts)
25. Yes but all foreign sources. The Guardian also has an article
Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:49 AM
barbtries (24,669 posts)
20. a quick google search
did not verify this.
if it's true, it is alarming. |
Response to barbtries (Reply #20)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 12:17 PM
cyndensco (1,641 posts)
24. The sources listed on Google are from middle eastern sources.
Interesting though, it was first mentioned on Reddit 20 hours ago:
Unconfirmed reports that the CIA head of anti-Iran operations, Michael D'Andrea aka Ayatollah Mike, was on board the plane that crashed near Ghazni, Afghanistan this morning. D'Andrea also masterminded the murder of Imad Mughniyeh, former Hezbollah Chief of Staff, back in 2008. (twitter.com) submitted 20 hours ago by samanwilson https://www.reddit.com/r/iranian/comments/eutsw6/unconfirmed_reports_that_the_cia_head_of_antiiran/ So if true, our gov't must have known about it for a while. The rumor - if it is a false - could have been dispelled hours ago. I agree. It is alarming. |
Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 11:58 AM
Javaman (56,711 posts)
21. tying up loose ends. nt
Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 12:16 PM
Wednesdays (13,150 posts)
23. Dead men tell no tales. nm
Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 12:27 PM
mylightningtoo (58 posts)
26. This can be confirmed or denied if the
mainstream media stays focused on it. At some point someone is going to wonder where Mr. D'Andrea is if he isn't showing up for his appointments.
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Response to mylightningtoo (Reply #26)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 03:03 PM
Duppers (21,483 posts)
44. Wikipedia has him listed as dead...
But no cause of death as of yet.
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Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 12:42 PM
Botany (58,615 posts)
27. Did Russia get info from Trump or on their own and pass it on to the Taliban in order to target ...
Last edited Tue Jan 28, 2020, 01:38 PM - Edit history (1) ... D'Andrea? Or did Russia clue Iran in on D'Andrea's where about for some payback?
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Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 12:45 PM
SayItLoud (1,362 posts)
28. #TrumpsWar
IMO Iran surrogates behind this. Just the beginning of Iranian payback. Buckle up.
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Response to SayItLoud (Reply #28)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 10:22 PM
crickets (16,418 posts)
48. That was my first thought. Not enough corroboration/details yet, but seems likely. nt
Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 12:51 PM
OAITW r.2.0 (7,873 posts)
29. Bookmarked to follow.
Hoping we see more sourcing on this. Troubling if true.
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Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 12:53 PM
NRaleighLiberal (54,124 posts)
30. we are all in a Robert Ludlum book
This is the DU member formerly known as NRaleighLiberal.
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Response to NRaleighLiberal (Reply #30)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 01:17 PM
padah513 (1,497 posts)
34. Yes!!!
Response to NRaleighLiberal (Reply #30)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 02:26 PM
JustABozoOnThisBus (20,704 posts)
43. With Trump, we are all in a Spy vs Spy cartoon.
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Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 01:05 PM
pangaia (24,324 posts)
32. "... D'Andrea, who earnt several nicknames .."
earnt ?
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Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 01:15 PM
SunSeeker (44,041 posts)
33. As Malcolm Nance says, coincidences take a lot of planning. nt
Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 01:23 PM
greenjar_01 (4,299 posts)
36. Every Iran expert said it would happen this way
Not a big strike in retribution for Soleimani, but years of little revenges.
All it takes is an Iranian operative to provide the right capability, information, and hardware. This is a pretty big L for the US if true. |
Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 01:35 PM
James48 (2,807 posts)
37. Interesting.
Never heard of D’Andrea before.
If he really was on the plane, it is interesting Russia had the info first. Or it could have been that the guy IS a CIA station s Chief, killed elsewhere, and the CIA is using the plane dead has a cover story. Which would have the Russians in on it. Fascinating. |
Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 01:41 PM
Perseus (4,341 posts)
39. How convenient...Was there anything this guy knew that needed to stay under wraps?
I wonder...All these years avoiding injury, but now, right after the "kill", he is suddenly downed...
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Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 02:08 PM
58Sunliner (3,466 posts)
40. Unfortunately we have no idea what really happened.
We are now living with a govt that we think is capable of such an assassination.
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Response to 58Sunliner (Reply #40)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 05:30 PM
Bradical79 (4,490 posts)
45. Hell, we have a President that could have leaked details himself
Wouldn't be the first time he's compromised our own people just bragging about things to Russians and other evil buddies.
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Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 09:56 PM
greyl (22,183 posts)
46. Pic of Zero Dark Thirty actor used in theory that CIA official killed in plane crash in Afghanistan.
Original title: Iranian state TV used a photo of an actor from 'Zero Dark Thirty' to spread a wild theory that a senior CIA official was killed in a plane crash in Afghanistan
Iran's state TV broadcast a photo of an actor from"Zero Dark Thirty" to illustrate a claim that the CIA officer that inspired the character had been killed. On Monday, the US military confirmed an E-11A surveillance plane crashed in Ghanzi, eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban, who control the region, say several top CIA operatives were killed, and have since denied access to the crash site. One of those CIA operatives was Michael D'Andrea, state TV said, according to BBC Monitoring, which first reported the claims made on Iranian TV. Iranian TV did not provide any evidence for its claim that D'Andrea was killed Monday. More: https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-image-zero-dark-thirty-actor-claim-cia-agent-death-2020-1 Link to tweet |
Response to greyl (Reply #46)
Wed Jan 29, 2020, 01:34 AM
greenjar_01 (4,299 posts)
49. But is he alive tho?
The dude not the actor?
No word on that yet, I guess. |
Response to greenjar_01 (Reply #49)
Wed Jan 29, 2020, 01:39 AM
greyl (22,183 posts)
50. Undetermined. nt
Response to greyl (Reply #50)
Wed Jan 29, 2020, 09:08 AM
greenjar_01 (4,299 posts)
51. A curious silence
Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Tue Jan 28, 2020, 10:03 PM
roamer65 (25,389 posts)
47. If you live by the sword, you shall indeed die by it.
Jesus had that one right.
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Response to roamer65 (Reply #47)
Sun Feb 2, 2020, 08:44 AM
discntnt_irny_srcsm (16,339 posts)
53. Have you read Luke 22?
36 "But now," he said, "take a duffle bag if you have one and your money. And if you don’t have a sword, better sell your clothes and buy one!" From the modern language Living Bible. |
Response to True_Blue (Original post)
Sun Feb 2, 2020, 04:17 AM
wishstar (4,598 posts)
52. US states NO CIA, only 2 US Air Force onboard, Per new Time magazine report:
https://time.com/5775758/military-crash-cia-disinformation/
The wreckage of a U.S. military plane that crashed and burned in a snowy mountainous region in Afghanistan on Monday was still fresh when Iranian state TV ran a story claiming a top CIA officer was among the dead. Like all good propaganda, the story was mostly false, but with a scintilla of truth. Two American service members had been killed when the U.S. Air Force jet slammed into the snowy ground, but U.S. officials insist there was no CIA onboard. The U.S. military says it could not have gotten the news out sooner. But the Iranian version of events that circulated in the information vacuum had people inside and outside the U.S. wondering who to believe. The Trump Administration’s now-familiar pattern of slow, incomplete and sometimes disingenuous responses to events has ground down public and internal trust of its messaging and created an opportunity for adversaries like Iran and Russia to spread disinformation and sow confusion among allies and U.S. officials. The wrong information can spread about an event whether it happened on a remote Afghan mountainside or a maximum-security American compound. “If false reports are not authoritatively or convincingly disproven, they can take on a life of their own,” James Cunningham, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan told TIME. “Once that happens, it’s very hard to undo that.” Critics and some U.S. officials say the growing dearth of trust in America’s word is symptomatic of an Administration led by a President who calls journalists “the enemy of the people”, frequently labels factual or unflattering news coverage as “fake news”, and has himself made more than 12,000 false or misleading statements during his tenure, according to a count by The Washington Post. A trust gap has formed between journalists and Administration spokespeople who often see challenging questions as political attacks, and treat offending outlets with disdain. Overall, there are fewer on-record press briefings in the Pentagon, the State Department, the White House and other agencies in this Administration, says a former senior Trump Administration official. He says that’s due in part to the top-down nature of the Administration and in part to subordinates’ efforts to protect the President. There is an internal battle afoot with some senior Administration officials arguing for more public briefings, and while the White House Press Secretary hasn’t briefed from the podium since March 2019, the Pentagon and State Department have resumed holding more frequent press conferences to win back that global public trust. But it’s an uphill battle against the megaphone of the Twitter presidency —and the active disinformation campaigns being waged overseas against the U.S. “No one believes us anymore,” one frustrated senior U.S. official said. |