'Taliban' SAM kills Soleimani assassin Michael D'Andrea?

[TonyGosling]

US plane crash in Afghanistan: CIA agent involved in Soleimani’s killing among dead
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/606372-us-plane-crash-in-afghanistan- cia-agent-involved-in-soleimani-s-killing-among-dead

TEHRAN: Iranian media outlets claim “many CIA” officers were killed in a plane crash in Afghanistan on Monday. The Taliban initially asserted large numbers of Americans were killed, and Russian media and Iranian media then said a senior CIA officer responsible for killing IRGC Gen. Qasem Soleimani was on board.

The claim has been greeted with skepticism. Michael D’Andrea’s name began to appear in Farsi media in the wake of the Soleimani killing when articles at Mehr News and Radio Farda claimed he was involved in planning the US operation. Later, on January 27, his name appeared again in rumors after the plane crash, reported foreign media on Wednesday. There are many who might have an interest in spreading conspiracies about the Taliban downing high-ranking US intelligence officers. Nevertheless, Iran’s News Agency ran with the story, quoting Russian sources that said the “assassin of Soleimani was on the plane and [was] killed in the crash.” It claims that D’Andrea “is the most prominent figure in the US CIA in the Middle East. He has been in charge of operations in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.”

The Taliban was quoted as saying it had shot down the plane. Iranian news agency refers to D’Andrea as “Ayatollah Mike” and “the Prince of Darkness,” relying on old US newspaper clippings. Press TV of Iran has also included the report, claiming top CIA officers were killed and repeating rumors about D’Andrea. But the original reports from the Taliban only spoke of a plane being shot down and some CIA members allegedly being on it. The US says an American E-11A plane was shot down in Ghazni province, around 900km from the Iranian border. Linking its downing to the Soleimani killing would be a major development and appear to show that Iran is active in Afghanistan with the Taliban, a claim that has been made in the past. Iran watches US movements in Afghanistan carefully and has met with the Taliban recently. Iran has also tried to down US drones that stray near Iran’s border.

The US has dropped a record number of bombs on the Taliban in the last year, as it also tried to push it toward the peace table. Many social media users are interested in the claim that D’Andrea may have been on the plane. One of the first users to report the claim noted that D’Andrea “masterminded the murder of Imad Mughniyeh, former Hezbollah chief of staff, back in 2008.” However, others have pointed out that while this could be big news, it could be disinformation, or designed merely to create the appearance that Iran had responded to the Soleimani killing. Iran has promised “hard revenge” against the US. Some Iranians on social media who support the regime in Tehran have been celebrating the downing of the plane.

The Taliban spokesman said it is still investigating who was killed on the plane, and it has not confirmed that the top CIA officer was among the dead. Photos placed online show burned bodies. A website noted a Taliban statement saying it found some documents on the plane, but the corpses of those on board were burned.

[TonyGosling]

Russia claims US spy boss was on downed aircraft in Afghanistan
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/russia-claims-us-spy-boss-wa s-on-downed-aircraft-in-afghanistan

RUSSIA claimed that the US intelligence chief that planned the assassination of Iranian commander General Qasem Soleimani was killed in a plane downed over Afghanistan on Wednesday.

Intelligence sources said that the head of CIA operations in Iran, Michael D’Andrea, was on board the Bombardier E-11A plane which crashed in Ghazni.

The Taliban claimed to have shot down the spy plane, although this has not been confirmed.

Mr D’Andrea was seen as taking a more aggressive stance towards Iran since he was appointed head of the CIA’s Iran mission centre in 2017.

He was known by the nicknames Ayatollah Mike, the Dark Prince and the Undertaker.

The CIA chief was known for the agency’s notorious “signature strike” in which drone attacks were launched against people simply because of a belief that their behaviour made them appear to be terrorists.

It is believed that he also masterminded the murder of former Hezbollah boss Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus, Syria, in 2008 and played a key role in the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

[TonyGosling]

Pentagon: '2' US airmen killed in Afghanistan plane crash
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200130-pentagon-2-us-airmen-killed -in-afghanistan-plane-crash/

January 30, 2020 at 4:42 pm | Published in: Afghanistan, Asia & Americas, Iran, Middle East, News, US
A 430th Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron E-11A outfitted with a Battlefield Airborne Communications Node sits on the runway at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Nov. 16, 2018. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kaylee Dubois) January 30, 2020 at 4:42 pm

The Pentagon has broken its silence on the casualties of Monday’s plane crash, involving a US Air Force Bombardier E-11A in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province, and confirmed the deaths of two US airmen.

“The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two airmen who were supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel,” it said in a statement released yesterday.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul K. Voss and Capain Ryan S. Phaneuf died Monday in the crash of a Bombardier E-11A aircraft in Ghazni, central Afghanistan, it said. No other personnel were on board, the US reported.

The US acknowledged that the plane had crashed, but disputed claims by the Taliban that they had brought it down. “The plane, which was on an intelligence mission, was brought down in Sado Khel area of Deh Yak district of Ghazni province,” said Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid in a statement.

Claiming that those on board were “high ranking” CIA officers, Mujahid added that “Taliban fighters on the ground counted six bodies at the site of the US plane crash.”

READ: CIA chief ‘behind Soleimani’s assassination’ killed in downed plane in Afghanistan

Defence investigative journalist Mikey Kay has claimed that it is common for crew on such a flight to consist of five officials in addition to two pilots.

It has been reported based on Russian intelligence claims that among those killed was the CIA’s head of the Iran Mission Centre, Michael D’Andrea, who was said to be behind the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.

He is also notable for being involved in the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and the joint CIA-Mossad assassination of Hezbollah’s Imad Mughniyeh in 2008.

The US has yet to comment on or deny that D’Andrea was killed.

In reporting the claim of D’Andrea’s death, Iranian state TV used an image of an actor whose character was based on the CIA chief in the film “Zero Dark Thirty”.


The US’ Navy Seal Team 6 reportedly recovered two bodies and a flight recorder from the site before destroying the plane’s sensitive military equipment. However, Reuters reported that the Taliban had initially prevented the Afghan security forces backed by US military support from reaching the site.

READ: US says 50 troops now diagnosed with traumatic brain injury after Iran strike

Described as a “WiFi in the sky” and a “spy plane” outfitted with Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN), the E-11A is a Bombardier Global 6000 business jet, modified for the US Air Force. It provides unparalleled communications capabilities to forces on the ground and in the air, especially in mountainous terrains as found in Afghanistan, which can cause communication difficulties.

It was only one of four E-11A aircraft with the BACN payload in the US Air Force and was assigned to the 430th Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron which operates solely out of Kandahar Airfield.

Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis at the Virginia-based aviation consultancy Teal Group, told Radio Free Europe that the plane was much more significant than an ordinary surveillance or communications aircraft providing “command-and-control battle management” functions and as such was a high value asset.

“There might be people on board analyzing it, disseminating it, transferring it — everything like that. There is a whole host of work involved with signals on the battlefield,” he added.

[TonyGosling]

CIA chief ‘behind Soleimani’s assassination’ killed in downed plane in Afghanistan
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200128-cia-chief-behind-soleimanis -assassination-killed-in-downed-plane-in-afghanistan/

Iran fakes CIA pictureJanuary 28, 2020 at 1:39 pm | Published in: Afghanistan, Asia & Americas, Iran, Middle East, News, US, Videos & Photo Stories
January 28, 2020 at 1:39 pm


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.


Zabihullah (..ذبـــــیح الله م )
@Zabehulah_M33
#AlFath
Enemy intelligence aircraft crashed in Sado Khelo area of Deh Yak district #Ghazni noon hours today resulting in all crew & high-ranking CIA members killed.
Wreckage & dead bodies laying at crash site. https://twitter.com/Zabehulah_M33/status/1221793698436079616 …

Zabihullah (..ذبـــــیح الله م )
@Zabehulah_M33
په غزني کې د امریکايي اشغالګرو یوه الوتکه رانسکوره شوه، ګڼ لوړ رتبه افسران په کې ووژل شول https://justpaste.it/3zjaq

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Brasco_Aad
@Brasco_Aad
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.

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18:48 - 27 Jan 2020
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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: The truth about US casualties in the Iran attack is slowly coming out

It has been speculated that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) may also have a hand in the incident, especially as anti-aircraft support has previously been given to the Taliban. Additionally, the Afghan Shia Fatimyoun Brigades, who are trained by the IRGC, also have a presence in the country.


VeteransToday
@veteranstoday
CIA Middle East chief, Soleimani Killer and Bin Laden Hunter, dead on Jet in Afghanistan. Tasnim and Mirror told after VT
by Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio for VT iTaly

VERSIONE ORIGINALE IN ITALIANO
The news is so big that we have to write it running the risk of a denial, ...

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An exiled Iranian journalist who has written previously for the hard-line Javan daily newspaper suggested the IRGC was involved, tweeting: “The American Gulfstream plane was downed in Afghanistan by the Taliban. They say that intelligence officers were on board. This report has not yet been confirmed, but if it is, it is possible that the issue of Iran will also emerge in this case.”

Another Iranian journalist who writes for Mashregh newspaper, described as having close links to IRGC, tweeted not long after the news broke out: “We will attack them on the same level as they are attacking us.”

Soleimani’s successor as head of the IRGC’s Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, has established ties in Afghanistan going back to the 1980s. Additionally, the chief commander of the IRGC, General Hossein Salami, warned that no American military commanders will be safe if the US administration continues to threaten Iranian commanders.

READ: US: 34 troops suffered brain injuries from Iran strikes

D’Andrea, who is reportedly a convert to Islam, doing so in order to marry his Muslim wife, who is from a wealthy family from the Mauritius of Gujarati origins, having met on his first overseas assignment in East Africa, one of the senior directors of her family’s company Curumjee Group, has been speculated to provide cover for CIA operations.

He also oversaw hundreds of drone strikes, which according to The New York Times “killed thousands of Islamist militants and hundreds of civilians”. D’andrea is credited with being the mastermind behind the CIA’s notorious “signature strike” used to kill people based on their behaviour, not identity, subsequently used to determine someone’s guilt or likelihood of being a terrorist.

He was central to the post-9/11 interrogation programme and ran the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center. Assassinations and torture were central to his approach. He also oversaw the hunt for Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and was involved in the assassination of Hezbollah member Imad Mughniyah in Damascus, Syria.