Fears of a possible World War III have gripped the nation since the airstrike assassination of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani last week.
Social media, particularly Black Twitter, responded to the fallout with a heap of hilarious images and memes to cope with the reality that Iran’s expected response may lead to an all-out war.
kiing_johnson / Instagram)
While it’s been a laughing matter for some, an apparent U.S. Army soldier shared a sobering video over the weekend reminding everyone to consider those who will impacted if a war is indeed declared.
“[Aye] man this sh-t ain’t no game,” Instagram user kiing_johnson, whose name apparently is James Johnson, wrote. “A lot of us might not be coming back and I been here since November.. so y’all tighten up [and] post sum positive or sum good. lucky wishes [or] prayers — everything y’all post don’t got to be funny.”
“ik [I know] y’all clout chasing but damn show love too💯❤️,” he added.
The post was also accompanied by a video showing the young man in military fatigues and talking to the camera.
“You gotta understand man, for somebody like me who has been here since November, in the middle of this sh-t,” he says. “You all could post a good lil meme about being positive for us or praying for us.”
The soldier-re emphasized that service members are “really going through this sh-t and a lot of us might not be coming back. So a prayer or a good luck could help.”
Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard and considered one of the nation’s most powerful officials, was targeted in a drone strike early Friday the airport in neighboring Iraq’s capital of Baghdad. The strike, which killed at least six others, has been decried by Democrats amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
President Donald Trump, 73, approved the attack, and U.S. officials say Soleimani was “actively developing plans to attack American diplomats [and] U.S. service members in Iraq and throughout the region.”
According to CNN, an estimated 3,000 troops have since been newly deployed to the Middle East to deal with fallout following the attack, which world leaders have criticized as “short-sighted” and “hugely consequential.”
By Monday, the young man’s sobering video had been viewed over 700,000 times and garnered hundreds of thousands of reactions, with many offering offering prayers and encouragement to the apparent active-duty soldier.
“Be safe!” reality star Khloe Kardashian commented. “Thank you to you and all the soldiers who are brave enough to protect our country! I salute you 🙏🏽 🙏🏽 may God bless you ❤️ praying for you ❤️”
Music producer Mike Will wrote, “ALUTE G’Z THANK YOU AND EVERY SOLDIER OVER THERE HOLDING IT DOWN FOR US !!🙏🏾 COME BACK STRONG !! 💯”
“Please please please be safe,” someone else added. “God bless you and thank you for fighting for us 🖤🖤🖤🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽”
Perhaps reflecting the disarray last week’s assassination of Soleimani has left the Trump administration in, a Reuters report published Monday stated the U.S. has agreed to withdraw troops from neighboring Iraq. In a letter sent to Iraqi officials, an American Marine general said the U.S. would pull out of the Muslim-majority nation and will reposition forces over the next few days and weeks. Within hours, the Pentagon would announce that there would be no withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, and the letter’s plain language was “a mistake,” as CNN and other outlets reported.
There are roughly 5,000 troops currently positioned in Iraq, which shares a border with Iran.
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