Who was Qassem Soleimani?

Iran (3rd Jan, 2020): General Qassem Soliemani, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC’s) Quds Force was killed early on Friday alongside six others following a US air raid at Baghdad’s international airport.

Soleimani is believed to have come from a poor background and to have had very little formal education. But he had risen through the Revolutionary Guards – Iran’s elite and most powerful force – and was reportedly close to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomeini.

After becoming commander of the Quds Force in 1998, Soleimani attempted to extend Iran’s influence in the Middle East by carrying out covert operations, providing arms to allies and developing networks of militias loyal to Iran.

Soleimani acquired celebrity status at home and abroad as the leader of the foreign arm of the Revolutionary Guards and for his key role in fighting in Syria and Iraq.

In recent years, he stepped into the limelight, appearing alongside Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other Shia leaders.

Over the course of his career he is believed to have aided Shia Muslim and Kurdish groups in Iraq fighting against former dictator Saddam Hussein as well as other groups in the region including the Shia militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon and Islamist organisation Hamas in the Palestinian territories.

After the US invaded Iraq in 2003 he began directing militant groups to carry out attacks against US troops and bases, killing hundreds. Soleimani emerged from the Iran-Iraq war a national hero for the missions he led across Iraq’s border.

In April 2019, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and Quds Force as foreign terrorist organisations.

The Trump administration has said the Quds Force provided funding, training, weapons and equipment to US-designated terrorist groups in the Middle East – including Hezbollah movement and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group based in Gaza.

In a statement, the Pentagon said Soleimani had been “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,” it added.

Read More: Iranian General targeted on Trump orders: Pentagon

 

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