IRGC and the “Death” of CIA’s “Ayatollah Mike”

On 3 January 2020, Trump assassinated Haji Qasem Soleimani. On 27 January 2020, the chief of CIA’s “Iran Mission,” Michael D’Andrea, “died” when his USAF Bombardier E-11A jet was downed in Afghanistan. Did he die? CIA claims he was “forced” to retire. Was the jet destroyed by IRGC?

**USAF Bombardier E-11A bearing tail number 358**

Michael D’Andrea

His biography and purported death are shrouded in myth and rumor. I shall not delve into them, but you can read the claims here and here. He was allegedly involved in the assassination of Hizballah’s Imad Mughniyeh (d. 12 February 2008, car bomb, Damascus); CIA’s torture program; and slaughter of thousands of Muslim civilians in drone strikes. He was accorded various nicknames, one of which is “Ayatollah Mike.”

The air crash

The circumstances of the air crash are subject to disinformation. The jet crashed in Dih Yak District, Ghazni, Afghanistan, 13:10 (local time). The Taliban claimed responsibility. The US Government only admitted to the deaths of two USAF aircrew. The crash was blamed on a technical failure. Video and photos suggest that something struck the jet head-on, and a fireball had spread through the fuselage, leaving the tail mostly intact, and extensively burned fuselage.

**Tail No. 358. The rear and tail comprise bulk of wreckage**

**Front and fuselage reflect extensive fire damage**

The 358 Drone-cum-Missile

The 358 is a form of loitering munitions. It has the drone’s ability to loiter, but with a missile that is launched once the designated target is acquired. It is part of the “358” family of missiles that has appeared in Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen. The drone/missile in the videos below carries a small explosive charge (about 10 kg), which is sufficient to bring down an aircraft.

Update 17 August 2024

New info on Missile-358

Missile 358

Missile system Model No. 358 launched to strike American MQ-1 drone

Model 358 destroying American MQ-9 Drone

The Claim

The 358 missile was called “358” by CIA because of the tail number of the jet. But recently, I learned that “Gen. Hajizadeh [chief of IRGC Aerospace] called it 358 too.” The interlocutor wrote, “Iran trolled the U.S. by naming the weapon used in the alleged downing of the US E-11A (tail number 358).”

Conclusion

It is not improbable that IRGC was responsible for the crash; and claims that D’Andrea was forced into retirement smell fishy. Given CIA’s role in the murder of Haji Qasem Suleimani, any senior CIA officer involved in the murder of Suleimani who comes within reach of IRGC’s array of weapons is a target, particularly if IRGC can plausibly deny a role in the death. Gina Haspel (the-then CIA Director), Mike Pompeo (Secretary of State and Iran-hater), and John Bolton, are acknowledged targets for IRGC.