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Funeral of Qasem Soleimani

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The funeral of Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian major general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was held on 4 up to 7 January 2020 in some cities in Iraq and Iran including Baghdad, Karbala, Najaf, Ahvaz, Mashhad, Tehran, Qom and his hometown Kerman. The funeral of Soleimani in Tehran was described as "the largest in Iran since the funeral of Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini," founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in 1989.[1][2] The Washington Post reported that after the Khomeini's funeral, "the ceremony rivaled the one held".[3]

Iraq

On 4 January, a funeral procession for Soleimani was held in Baghdad with thousands of mourners in attendance, waving Iraqi and militia flags[4] and chanting "death to America, death to Israel".[5] The procession started at the Al-Kadhimiya Mosque in Baghdad. Iraq's prime minister, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, and leaders of Iran-backed militias attended the funeral procession.[6] Soleimani's remains were taken to the holy Shia cities of Karbala and Najaf.[7]

Mashhad and Ahvaz

Iranian State TV estimated millions of mourners in Mashhad and Ahvaz on 5 January.[1]

Teharn and Qom

CNN described the number of mourners who participated in the Tehran funeral with “a sea of people” on Monday. Iranian State TV reported estimates of millions of mourners there. The mourners had the Soleimani’s photos in their hands, screamed "down with the USA" and "death to the USA”.[8] Satellite imagery showed that gathered people stretched from "Azadi Square and for nearly 6 kilometers [3.7 miles] along Azadi Street in central Tehran". Associated Press journalists estimated "a turnout of at least 1 million" in Tehran.[1] Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prayed over Soleimani's body during the funeral ceremony alongside President of Iran Hassan Rouhani and other officials. General Ismail Qaani cried over his coffin.[8]

Kerman

According to France24, the massive number of mourners in Kerman attended in his funeral procession was the same as the number of people who attend in cities of Tehran, Qom, Mashhad, and Ahvaz.[9] BBC reporters at the scene stated that despite widespread chants of "Death to America" and "Death to Trump," the theme music from the U.S 1970 movie Love Story was played during the procession as well.[10] On 7 January 2020, a stampede took place at the burial procession for Soleimani, killing 40 mourners and injuring 190.[11] During Ayatollah Khomeini's 1989 funeral procession, eight people were killed in a stampede, also caused in part due to struggles containing the massive crowd.[12]

Reactions

Commeniting on photos of the huge crowds in Tehran's funeral, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Javad Zarif tweeted: "Do you still imagine you can break the will of this great nation and its people? End of malign US presence in West Asia has begun."[8]

See also

Reference

  1. ^ a b c Rogers, James. "Satellite images show Soleimani funeral crowds thronging streets of Tehran". foxnews. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  2. ^ Fassihi, Farnaz; Kirkpatrick, David D. "Khamenei Wants to Put Iran's Stamp on Reprisal for U.S. Killing of Top General". nytimes. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  3. ^ Birnbaum, Michael; Cunningham, Erin; Dadouch, Sarah. "Soleimani's funeral procession in Iran sees massive crowds and calls for revenge". washington post. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Qasem Soleimani: Mourners gather in Baghdad for funeral procession". BBC News. 4 January 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  5. ^ O'Brien, Amy (4 January 2020). "Thousands march in Baghdad funeral procession for Qassem Suleimani—video". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  6. ^ Safi, Michael (4 January 2020). "Qassem Suleimani: chants of 'death to America' at Baghdad funeral". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  7. ^ Ibrahim, Arwa. "'You never let us down': Thousands mourn Soleimani in Baghdad". aljazeera. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Berlinger, Joshua; Mackintosh, Eliza. "Iranians mourn slain general". CNN. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  9. ^ "Thousands in Iran gather to mourn as Soleimani's body arrives in hometown of Kerman". France24. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  10. ^ "Stampede kills 50 at Soleimani's burial in Iran". January 7, 2020 – via www.bbc.com.
  11. ^ Safi, Michael (7 January 2020). "Iran: dozens dead in stampede at Suleimani burial procession – state TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Stampede kills 56 at funeral for Iranian general slain by US". Star Tribune.
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