Biden says he would not have ordered drone strike that killed Soleimani

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White House defends killing Soleimani: We saved American lives, there was no alternative

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham reacts to criticism from Democrats and Republican Sen. Rand Paul on the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani on 'America's Newsroom.'

Former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday said he would not have given the order to launch the airstrike that killed Iranian Quds Force Gen. Qassem Soleimani if he was the commander in chief.

Biden was asked about the attack during the Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire.

"No, and the reason I wouldn’t have ordered the strike is there isn’t any evidence yet of an imminent strike that was going to come from him," he said while on stage next to his Democratic rivals at Saint Anselm College in Manchester.

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Soleimani was killed last month in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad that ordered by President Trump. Pentagon officials said he had been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American troops during the Iraq War and was an imminent threat.

The attack has led to increased tensions in the region and prompted Tehran to launch a retaliatory airstrike on Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops. More than 60 have been diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury since.

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The 2020 Democratic presidential candidates took the debate stage following the Iowa caucuses that were thrown into chaos following technology glitches that stalled the release of vote results.