Tipsheet

WaPo Torched For Another Awful Headline About Death of a Terrorist

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  January 03, 2020 7:30 AM

The Washington Post had eyes rolling on Twitter Thursday over a headline about the death of Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. airstrike.

“Breaking news: Airstrike at Baghdad airport kills Iran’s most revered military leader, Qasem Soleimani, Iraqi state television reports,” the WaPo headline read. 

While some brushed off the headline, believing it was in reference to how Iraqi state television reported the situation, just two paragraphs into the story the same language is used by the story’s writers. 

"Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said the Pentagon had taken 'decisive defensive action' against Soleimani, the revered military figure who had close links to a network of armed groups backed by Iran across the Middle East and, according to the United States, bore responsibility for hundreds of American deaths," WaPo said.

The language isn't surprising, as this is the same paper that described Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the former leader of ISIS taken out by the U.S., as an "austere religious scholar."

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“General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more,” according to the Pentagon. “He had orchestrated attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over the last several months – including the attack on December 27th – culminating in the death and wounding of additional American and Iraqi personnel. General Soleimani also approved the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that took place this week.” 

Esper said the strike was meant as a deterrent because Soleimani was "actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region."