Iranian general Qassem Soleimani was buried in his hometown of Kerman for burial on Tuesday 7 January, a day after millions of mourners gathered in the Iranian capital Tehran and the religious city of Qom in an emotionally-charged funeral procession.
Tuesday’s ceremonies marked the end of a three-day mourning period for the Quds Force commander, who was assassinated on Friday in a US drone attack on Baghdad airport on his arrival from Iran.
Major General Qassem Soleimani.
General Soleimani, 62, was born into a poor family in Kerman province in the country’s southeast. He started working as a 13-year-old to support his family, spending his free time attending sermons. he could not finish school.
As a young man during the Islamic revolution of Iran 1979, Soleimani began his ascent through the Iranian military. He emerged from the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s as a national hero for the missions he led across Iraq’s border.
On Monday 6 January, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wept openly as he led funeral prayers in Tehran for the slain general, a hero to his countrymen and much loved by his comrades.
Not many can dream of being emotionally mourned by such massive number of people when they pass away. What an exit for a Shahid!