US president defends killing of Iran's Soleimani but critics say it has made the world more dangerous.

United States President Donald Trump has long warned that he would pull US troops out of what he called the "endless wars" in the Middle East.

But there are fears Trump may have just laid the groundwork for a new conflict.

He ordered the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran's elite Quds Force.

A US air strike near Baghdad airport on Friday killed Soleimani, the deputy commander of an Iran-backed Iraqi paramilitary group and several others.

Now, armed groups have pledged to avenge the deaths and all US citizens are being urged to leave Iraq immediately.

The Pentagon is sending an extra 3,000 troops to the Middle East in case of reprisal attacks.

Presenter: Halla Mohieddeen

Guests:

Hillary Mann Leverett - CEO of political risk consultancy Stratega and a former US diplomat

Andreas Krieg - Assistant professor in Defence Studies at King's College London and co-author of Surrogate Warfare: The Transformation of War in the Twenty-First Century

Adolfo Franco - Republican strategist and former adviser to Senator John McCain

Source: Al Jazeera News