Qassem suleimani biography channel
In this in-depth series, Simon Schofield charts the career of one of the most notorious and feared intelligence operatives of the last century. Starting at humble beginnings, he explores the wars Soleimani fought across five continents, his death at the hands of an American drone pilot, and what his successor is likely to do with the political and strategic inheritance his predecessor has bequeathed to him.
So goes the Persian proverb, and this could have no greater resonance than in the life of Qassem Soleimani, a man whose luck ran out very suddenly on the 3 rd January Days after being named by US Journal as one of the top ten powerful advisers in the world with the potential to shape , General Soleimani strode confidently down the steps from an Airbus A airliner.
The plane bore the livery of the Syrian private airline Cham Wings and had ferried him from Damascus to Baghdad, arriving three hours later than initially scheduled. It was gone midnight by the time the plane touched down and the General was tired, having zig-zagged from Tehran to Damascus, then from Damascus to Beirut to discuss coordination of Shia military forces in Iraq with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, only to fly onward to Baghdad again via Damascus.
The two rival Islamic powers were locked in a cold war for regional hegemony and this latest round of talks, brokered in Iraq at the behest of United States President Donald Trump, was intended to deescalate tensions. A familiar face greeted him on disembarking. Grinning at the new arrival, Muhandis embraced his old friend like a brother, which, in many senses, he was.
General Soleimani was confirmed as being among the dead on identification of his distinctive red carnelian ring, which still adorned his finger in death.
Qassem suleimani biography channel
The 8 th Century Shiah Imam Jafar al-Sadiq proclaimed that red carnelian, what he called aqiq , brought the wearer safety whilst travelling. The two men knew how to keep a low profile: travel only in small groups, using unmarked cars and commercial airlines so as not to risk drawing unwanted attention. Today, however, their tradecraft would not protect them; their operational security had been compromised.
Gliding around 50,ft above the two vehicles were a pair of MQ-9 Reaper drones. It was well-known that Mohammed Redha only ever drove Muhandis around, and it was equally well-known that the only guest Muhandis ever personally received at Baghdad International Airport was General Soleimani. At am , barely 10 minutes after the air brakes had slowed the plane to a halt on the runway, the first rocket was fired.
A second rocket narrowly missed the Toyota, which had taken evasive manoeuvres, striking the road and leaving a crater in its surface. The Quds Force is a unit specializing in unconventional warfare, extraterritorial military, clandestine operations, and military intelligence. Note that one of the reasons why Qasem Soleimani was regarded as a powerful military commander centered on his role as a diplomat with valuable connections and influence outside Iran.
For example, after the September 11 attacks in the United States in , he sent out Iranian representatives to meet Ryan Crocker, a senior U. State Department official, to develop a plan to neutralize the Taliban. The collaboration was deemed instrumental in defining bombing targets in Afghanistan and capturing key operatives of Al-Qaeda. The American-Iranian relations went sour when then U.
President George W. Nonetheless, Soleimani played a role in expanding and maintaining the Iranian influence in the Middle East. As another example, he helped in materializing a ceasefire agreement between the Iraqi Army and Mahdi Army in March As a supporter of the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad, he personally oversaw the Iranian intervention in the Syrian Civil War beginning in the latter half of Nonetheless, Soleimani has been credited for the military strategy that enabled Bashar al-Assad to neutralize rebel forces and recapture several towns and cities.
Democrats , including top presidential candidates , condemned the killing of Soleimani, arguing that it escalated the conflict with Iran, and risked retaliation or war. According to a Meta then Facebook spokesperson, Instagram and its parent company Meta then Facebook are removing posts "that voice support for slain Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani to comply with U.
Ismail Haniyeh described Soleimani as "the martyr of Jerusalem" in a speech pronounced in Tehran during his funeral. Trump just wanted to make up an excuse for his crime. Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said in a leaked tape that "Soleimani's death caused more damage to the country than if the U. On 4 January, a funeral procession for Soleimani was held in Baghdad with thousands of mourners in attendance, waving Iraqi and militia flags [ 10 ] and chanting "death to America, death to Israel".
Iraq's prime minister, Adil Abdul-Mahdi , and leaders of Iran-backed militias attended the funeral procession. Tens of thousands of mourners in black clothes attended the funeral procession with green, white, and red flags. On 6 January, the body of Soleimani and other casualties arrived at the Iranian capital Tehran. Huge crowds, reportedly hundreds of thousands or millions, packed the streets.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who had a close relationship with Soleimani, led the traditional Islamic prayer for the dead , weeping at one point in front of the flag-draped coffins. On 7 January , a stampede took place at the burial procession for Soleimani in Kerman attended by hundreds of thousands of mourners, killing 56 and injuring more.
On 7 January , the Supreme National Security Council of Iran announced that it had drafted a 13 revenge scenarios document. The next day, the Iranian military responded to Soleimani's death by launching ballistic missiles at two U. While initial reports suggested that the missile strike was a result of a mistake, subsequent evidence raised the possibility that the flight might have been intentionally targeted.
Some interpretations of the evidence indicated that this action could have been taken to divert public attention towards the US intervention in the region and to prevent potential retaliatory actions from the United States. On 20 July , it was reported by Iranian state television that a man named Mahmoud Mousavi Majd had been executed following his conviction for providing information to the United States and Israel about Soleimani and the Quds Force.
There have been held commemoration ceremonies by the name of "Commemoration-Ceremony Anniversary of Martyr Qassem-Soleimani" and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in presence and virtually via web conferencing in the cities of the Islamic Republic of Iran [ ] [ ] [ ] and several countries, such as Oman , Iraq, Syria and Portugal. According to Fars News Agency , the anniversary of the commemoration of Qasem Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and their colleagues was held with the presence of local and foreign officials in University of Tehran , Iran.
On 3 January , an explosion occurred near a cemetery in Kerman, on the 4th anniversary of Soleimani's death. About 89 people were killed and another wounded, in an attack claimed by the ISIS. On 3 January , the Iranian government held a rally to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of "national hero" Qasem Soleimani, who Iran claimed played a key role in "defeating terrorism" abroad.
His record in particular has come under renewed scrutiny following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and the ability of his successor, Esmail Qaani, to maintain the same level of effectiveness remains questionable. The film Bodyguard , directed by Ebrahim Hatamikia , was inspired by Soleimani's activities. Shortly after his death, various representations of Qasem Soleimani appeared in many wall paintings and propaganda posters in Iran.
During Mahsa Protests , his pictures, banners featuring him, and also his statutes were targeted, burned and crushed by angry protesters as his involvement in the crackdown and killing of protesters in the past decade and other war crimes came to light. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read View source View history. Tools Tools.
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Soleimani with the Order of Zolfaghar in Kerman Martyrs Cemetery, Kerman , Iran [ 9 ]. See list. Order of Zolfaghar 1 [ 11 ] Order of Fath 3 [ 12 ]. Command of the Quds Force. This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
November Learn how and when to remove this message. Relationship with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Support for Palestinian resistance. A letter to Mohammed Deif. Quoted by Dexter Filkins. Orchestration of military coalition in See also: Russia—Syria—Iran—Iraq coalition. Main article: Aleppo offensive October—December See also: War in Iraq — and Iranian intervention in Iraq —present.
July speech addressing U. President Trump. Public image outside of Iran. Main article: Assassination of Qasem Soleimani. Legal status of the assassination. Further information: Reactions to the assassination of Qasem Soleimani. Main article: Funeral of Qasem Soleimani. See also: Operation Martyr Soleimani. Cultural depictions and legacy. His gravestone states 21 March At least one later source states 21 March State Department listed his birthplace as Qom , Qom Province, instead.
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