Kerman (Iran), Jan 7 (IANS) 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.
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”.
–IANS
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