NO WARNING
Downing Street livid with Trump for endangering Brit troops by assassinating Iran general Qasem Soleiman without warning
DOWNING Street was livid last night with Donald Trump for endangering British troops by assassinating Iranian military chief Qasem Soleimani without warning.
In a serious breach of protocol between key allies, the US president did not tell Boris Johnson about the Baghdad missile strike on the terror mastermind.
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The attack sparked immediate overnight concern for the safety of 400 British troops stationed in Iraq and fears they could be targeted for revenge.
In a snub to the White House, the British Government refused to give any public support for the killing yesterday.
As fears also rose for the precarious deal with Tehran to stop it building a nuclear arsenal, one angry senior British official even accused Mr Trump of behaving “like a mafia boss”.
In a pattern that has alarmed military bosses, The Sun can also reveal the US administration also gave London no warning about the raid to kill ISIS chief Abū Bakr al-Baghdadi in October.
Defence chiefs were forced to issue urgent orders in the middle of the night to halt movement in the country, as well as hike base security.
The UK service personnel are based in three locations across Iraq – at Camp Taji north of Baghdad on a traning mission, in the capital itself and in the Kurdish city of Erbil.
A further 500 British troops and airmen are operating in and around Syria, on Operation Shader.
While condemning terror mastermind Soleimani’s long and murderous career, the Foreign Secretary did not condone the attack in a terse public statement.
Instead, Dominic Raab called for calm, alongside France and Germany.
Mr Raab said: “We have always recognised the aggressive threat posed by the Iranian Quds force led by Qasem Soleimani.
“Following his death, we urge all parties to de-escalate. Further conflict is in none of our interests.”
The PM’s New Year holiday on the Caribbean island of Mustique was interrupted for a series of phone briefings throughout yesterday.
But the PM decided not to cut short his holiday after Mr Raab and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace both rushed back to London yesterday morning to handle the crisis instead.
Mr Johnson is expected back in the country by Sunday morning.
FRAGILE SITUATION
Senior officials held a rolling meeting of the government’s emergency committee COBRA through out the day to closely monitor Iran’s response to the killing.
Dubbing it “a very fragile situation”, a No10 source added: “We are watching things very closely and the PM will intervene if and when we think we can help”.
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Commons Foreign Affairs Committee chair Tom Tugendhat dubbed the White House’s failure to inform No10 of the assassination plan as “a concern”.
The senior Tory MP and former Army officer added: “Having allies means we can surprise our enemies not each other. I would urge our US allies to share more with us”.
Asked whether UK troops based in the region are in danger, former Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt said: “Any of the actions that have been taken in the region could have had a consequence of starting a direct confrontation, and therefore military personnel in the region could have been at risk.
“But there’s no doubt that risks and consequences are much greater this morning than they were before.”
In a bid to defuse a full blown war, the government carefully coordinated its response with Paris and Berlin.
Mr Raab also called US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to urge restraint.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass added: “The US military operation followed a series of dangerous provocations by Iran.
“However, this action has not made it easier to reduce tensions. I made this point clearly to Secretary Pompeo as well.”
No10 also dismissed some Labour MPs’ demands for Parliament to be recalled, as its due back from the Christmas holiday on Tuesday anyway.
MOST READ IN POLITICS
But a series of Labour leadership contenders leaped on the crisis to attack the US.
Rebecca Long-Bailey accused President Trump of pushing the world “to the brink of another disastrous war that would cost countless lives, further destabilise the region and make us all less safe”.
Another, Jess Philips, tweeted: “Reckless foreign policy does not show strength. It’s not a game.”
Labour boss Jeremy Corbyn urged the PM to “stand up to the belligerent actions and rhetoric coming from the United States”.
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Moment Iranian general Qasem Soleimani is ‘torn to shreds’ by US Reaper drone moments after he landed in Baghdad
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