(Photo credit: Twitter)
As Iranians and Iraqis commemorate the three-year anniversary of Washington’s illegal assassination of Iran’s Quds Force Commander General Qassem Soleimani and Iraq’s Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, scores of people have, over the last few days, rallied in the streets of both countries.
On 3 January, people from all over the Islamic Republic, and particularly in Soleimani’s hometown of Qanat-e Malek in Kerman province, gathered to remember the fallen commander. At Tehran’s main prayer hall, a national congress to commemorate the assassination was held and attended by several senior officials.
This is Kerman.. A fairly typical city in #Iran.. Qassim Soleimani was born and then buried here after his assassination by US..
Tonight Iranian men and women flooded the streets to pay their respects to General Soleimani and remember his legacy as ‘hero’ in their eyes #hero pic.twitter.com/QLdHLbmmvu
— iQ MidEast Update (@iQMidEastUpdate) January 2, 2023
📷 People visiting the tomb of martyr Haj Qasem Soleimani
➖ People from different cities across 🇮🇷 #Iran are paying a visit to the tomb of Lieutenant General #QasemSoleimani to mark his 3rd martyrdom anniversary. pic.twitter.com/O3fjJZriRl
— Mahdi Rizvi (@MehdiRizvi123) January 2, 2023
The following day, a scholarly congress under the title “The Global Hero of Resistance” will also be held and attended by a number of officials and figures from abroad.
Similarly, in Iraq, citizens and officials attended a ceremony in the Iraqi city of Dujail, Salaheddine province, where they paid their respects to Soleimani as well as Muhandis, who served as the deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Al-Hashd al-Shaabi.
On 2 January, a day earlier, thousands of Iraqis gathered near Baghdad International Airport to commemorate the assassination.
🇮🇶🇮🇷 Thousands of Iraqis gathered next to baghdad airport for commemoration ceremony of the resistance martyrs haj ghasem Soleimani and Abu mahdi Mohandes who were martyred by US terror attack.#QasemSoleimani #WeRemember pic.twitter.com/IlP5MsADft
— Mahdi Rizvi (@MehdiRizvi123) January 2, 2023
During the ceremony, the people of Iraq honored and expressed their appreciation for the role played by Soleimani and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), as well as Muhandis and the PMU in Iraq’s fight against ISIS.
The previous night, in the city of Damascus in Syria – where Soleimani’s presence also played a highly significant role in the scourge of extremism – scores of Syrian youths, political figures, and representatives of popular organizations held a ceremony to honor the Iranian general at the Shrine of Sayyeda Zainab.
In Damascus.. The 3rd anniversary of the assassination of Iran 🇮🇷 General Soleimani & Iraq 🇮🇶 Hashd commander Al-Muhandis is remembered in Syria 🇸🇾
These men defeated ISIS terrorism in Syria and Iraq pic.twitter.com/Xn2C14RWvK
— iQ MidEast Update (@iQMidEastUpdate) January 3, 2023
In Aleppo – which, with the aid of Soleimani, was completely liberated from extremist groups by Syrian government forces – the tribes and nomad groups held various ceremonies and commemorations to honor the martyred general.
Aleppo nomads commemorate memory of Martyr Soleimani, ,https://t.co/o2oWslmzXg,
— S N N (@shianews313) January 1, 2023
Gatherings and ceremonies were also held in a number of different countries, reaching as far as El Salvador and Mumbai.
The Martyrdom Anniversary of #General_Soleimani Commemorated In #Mumbai
Besides millions in Iran,Iraq,and Syria who will mourn the death of a man who gave them a new life without fear of ISIS, 39 Indian nurses who were taken hostage by the brutal ISIS will be thanking him#جانفدا pic.twitter.com/fDjzVSdNXS— Mohammad Ali Shafiee (@mashafiee) January 2, 2023
Soleimani and Muhandis were assassinated by the Trump administration in an illegal drone strike on 3 January 2020 near Baghdad International Airport. Representing a gross violation of international law, the strike was condemned by several world leaders and international organizations, yet justified by President Donald Trump and his government, who claimed to have taken out “the number one terrorist in the world.”
Following his death, several million Iranians took to the streets to mourn the former head of the IRGC’s Quds Force, in what has been described by many as one of the largest funerals in Iran’s history.
The Quds Force commander has since become a highly revered, regional and even international symbol in the fight against terrorism and western hegemony.