Fact Check: Did US Army Order Enlisting of Civilians During Iran Tension?

At start of 2020, the top trend on social media was ‘World War 3’! The shocking assassination of Iran’s top military leader Qasem Soleimani at the Baghdad Airport in first week of January led to tense speculations and with potential of exploding into biggest crisis that the world has seen in recent times. Amid tension with Iran, a peculiar message surfaced on the social media that the US Army was seeking to enlist civilians on urgent basis. A strange message went viral with many people in America sharing their concerns and surprise over such an appeal by the US Army.

“Hello, we are contacting you in regards to the United States official army draft, we tried contacting you through your email several times and have had no response. You've been marked eligible and must come to the nearest branch in the New Jersey Area for immediate departure to Iran. Please contact us at the following number immediately." The message also had names and numbers of persons concerned. The area in the text differed from region to region. It also had a warning of the recipient of the message. “We’re aware that this number is not disconnected, you’ll be fined and sent to jail for minimum 6 years if no reply,” the text concluded.

The draft texts went viral even as Iran bombed American military installations in Iraq. After several people reported the draft text to the military, the US Army finally issued a statement terming the messages as totally BOGUS!

Recent text messages telling recipients they have been selected for a new military draft are bogus, the US Army and Selective Service say. Do not respond! Learn about avoiding texting scams: https://t.co/w0p1bz7Igc #FCCtips #ProtectingConsumers

— The FCC (@FCC) January 15, 2020

“U.S. Army Recruiting Command has received multiple calls and emails about these fake text messages and wants to ensure Americans understand these texts are false and were not initiated by this command or the U.S. Army,” a statement on the Army’s website read. “Registering for the Selective Service does not enlist a person into the military. Army recruiting operations are proceeding as normal,” the statement added.

Pentagon and the White House had officially confirmed that President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of Iran’s high-profile General in an airstrike in Baghdad on Friday morning. In a statement, the White House said that, “At the direction of the President, the US military has taken decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.” The Department of Defense added that, "General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region. General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more."