Iran Commemorates Death Anniversary of General Qasem Soleimani

Sunday marks the one year anniversary of the US assassination of Qasem Soleimani, a senior Iranian military commander who assisted the Iraqi and Syrian governments in their war against Daesh* and other terrorist groups. A commemoration ceremony was held in Soleimani’s home city of Kerman, with supporters of the general also gathering to commemorate him in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.

Soleimani was a beloved figure in his native Iran, with his popularity reportedly extending far beyond supporters of the country’s Islamic Republican system of government, owing to his exploits fighting jihadist extremists in Syria and Iraq alongside the secular Syrian government, Shia and Sunni militias, Kurds, and even, indirectly, the US and its coalition allies. Following his 3 January 2020 assassination, US media described him as the equivalent of the commander of US military operations in the Middle East, a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or even the US secretary of defence.

Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a top Baghdad-allied Shia militia commander and several other Iraqi and Iranian nationals were killed alongside Soleimani in the attack.

The strike on Soleimani was initiated by US President Donald Trump, who justified the killing by saying that Iran was plotting an attack on four US embassies, including in Baghdad. Iran responded to the assassination with limited missile strikes on two bases in Iraq housing US soldiers. Initially, the White House and Pentagon said that no one was hurt, but the latter eventually admitted that there had been injuries and proceeded to increase the count several times.

* Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS/Islamic State) is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia and many other countries

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People wave flags during the first anniversary of the killing of senior Iranian military commander General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US attack, in Baghdad, Iraq, 2 January 2021.

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People attend a vigil marking the one year anniversary of the killing of Iranian military commander General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US drone attack, in Sanaa, Yemen, 2 January 2021.

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A person mourns on the first anniversary of the killing of senior Iranian military commander General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US attack, in Baghdad, Iraq, 2 January 2021.

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Members of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) and their supporters chant slogans against the United States at Baghdad's International Airport on Saturday, 2 January 2021, for the anniversary of the killing of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of the PMF, and Gen. Qasem Soleimani, head of Iran's Quds Force, in a US airstrike. A poster depicting late Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini, left, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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A handout picture provided by Commander of Iraq's Asaib Ahl al-Haq pro-Iran faction Qais al-Khazali's office shows him (C) paying respects by the grave of slain Iraqi militia chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in the Wadi al-Salam ("Valley of Peace") cemetery, in the holy city of Najaf, on 2 January 2021, on the eve of the first anniversary of his killing alongside Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike.

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Iraqis hold pictures of senior Iranian military commander General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis as they gather to mark the one year anniversary of their killing in a US drone attack, in Baghdad, Iraq, 1 January 2021.

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People gather on a street during the first anniversary of the killing of senior Iranian military commander General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US attack, in Baghdad, Iraq, 2 January 2021.

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An Iraqi woman carries a portrait of late Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani at Baghdad Airport, Baghdad, 2 January 2021, at the site of their killing.

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People mourn by the grave of senior Iranian military commander General Qasem Soleimani, during the one year anniversary of his killing in a US attack, in his hometown of Kerman, Iran, 2 January 2021.

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People gather around candles and pictures of senior Iranian military commander General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis on the first anniversary of their death in a US attack, in Baghdad, Iraq, 2 January 2021.

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A person looks at a mural during the first anniversary of the killing of senior Iranian military commander General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US attack at Baghdad Airport. Iraq, 2 January 2021.

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A girl holds a lit candle during the first anniversary of the killing of senior Iranian military commander General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US attack, in Baghdad, Iraq, 2 January 2021.

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A fighter from the Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation Forces) stands in front of a banner during the first anniversary of the killing of senior Iranian military commander General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US attack at Baghdad Airport. Iraq, 2 January 2021.

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A person lights candles during the first anniversary of the killing of senior Iranian military commander General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US attack, in Baghdad, Iraq, 2 January 2021.