Hundreds of people rally in Iraq to mark 2020 killing of Iran general

Hundreds of people rallied in Baghdad, Iraq on January 1 to mark the anniversary of the killing of a powerful Iranian general. People chanted “Death to America” during the rally to honour Iran’s General Qasem Soleimani and his Iraqi lieutenant. They died in the US (United States) drone strike in January 2020.

A person in the rally carried a poster, which read “US terrorism has to end”. Qasem Soleimani headed the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of the elite Revolutionary Guard. He died in January while leaving the airport with senior officials from Iraqi Shia militias. Reportedly, their convoy was hit by missiles fired by a US drone.

Qasem Soleimani’s death in January

The killing of  Qasem Soleimani and al-Muhandis at Baghdad's airport created a rift between Iran and the United States (US). Soleimani’s death sparked outrage in Iraq. Former US President Donald Trump ordered the strike to stop the US-Iraq war. However, the strike killed Soleimani near Baghdad’s airport and his Iraqi lieutenant. Trump had then clarified that the strike took place in response to a wave of attacks on US interests in Iraq.

At that time, Trump described  Qasem Soleimani as "the number-one terrorist anywhere in the world". Five days after Soleimani’s killing, Iran fired missiles at an airbase in Iraq. No US troops died, however, more than 100 people suffered traumatic injuries. In December, the “combat mission” of the US-led coalition against ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) ended.

Who was Qasem Soleimani?

Qasem Soleimani was seen as the most powerful figure in Iran until he died in January 2020. He was an architect of Iranian policy across the Middle East. Under Soleimani’s leadership, the Quds Force developed into an elite military unit that played a vital role in developing the country’s political influence.