City
Epaper

Thousands join Soleimani's funeral in his hometown

By IANS | Updated: January 7, 2020 12:55 IST

Hundreds of thousands of mourners on Tuesday took to the streets of Kerman in Iran, the hometown of Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian Major General who was killed in a US attack, to attend the funeral of the top commander.

Open in App

The remains of Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy leader of the Iraqi militia Popular Mobilization Forces who was also killed in the January 3 attack ordered by US President Donald Trump, arrived in Kerman on Tuesday morning, following massive funeral processions in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad, Karbala and Najaf as well as the cities of Ahvaz, Mashhad, Tehran and Qom in Iran, reports Press TV.

An estimated seven million mourners took part in Monday's funeral in Tehran, according to the Coordination Council for Islamic Propagation.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Soleimani's daughter Zeinab also participated in Monday's procession.

From the early hours of Tuesday, large crowds of black-clad mourners began filling the streets of Kerman.

Chants of "Death to America" have been ringing out across the city, with mourners carrying the portraits of the national hero.

The late commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) will be laid to rest later in the day following the funeral procession.

A separate mass procession was also underway for Muhandis in Abadan, from where his body will be taken to Khorramshahr and Shalamcheh in Iran's Khuzestan province.

Later in the day, the remains of the senior commander will be taken back to Iraq.

Soleimani, 63, had been on the ground in Syria and Iraq supervising militias backed by Tehran.

The Quds Force holds sway over a large number of militias across the region ranging from Lebanon to Syria and Iraq, reports Efe news.

The Iranian authorities have called for "harsh revenge" over the killing of the commander and believe that the incident marks a turning point and will lead to the withdrawal of the US troops from the region.

Amid threats of retaliation from Iran, Trump on Sunday warned in a tweet that "the US will quickly and fully strike back, and perhaps in a disproportionate manner".

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: IraqiranQuds ForceSoleimanius
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalHurricane Erin Enters Into Category 2 Storm With Maximum Winds of 100 mph, Heavy Rainfall Over Caribbean Islands Likely

InternationalIowa Shooting: Two Killed, One Injured In Firing and Blast in Glenwood; Suspect Arrested

InternationalGeorgia Shooting: 5 Soldiers Injured at Army Base Camp in Fort Stewart

InternationalArizona Plane Crash: 4 Medical Personnel Killed After Aircraft Headed to Hospital Crashes Near Chinle Airport

MumbaiAI Voice Scam in Mumbai: Juhu Trader Duped of Rs 50,000 as Fraudster Mimics Brother’s Voice

International Realted Stories

InternationalEarthquake of magnitude 4.9 strikes Afghanistan

InternationalBalochistan: Mother of slain teen in Mastung demands justice amid threats

InternationalIndian flag hoisted at Times Square on Independence Day 2025 celebrations

InternationalUAE rescue team intensifying field operations to extinguish forest fires in Albania

InternationalGCC Secretary-General, Czech Deputy FM discuss upcoming Gulf-European Ministerial Meeting in Kuwait