Emotional scenes unfold in Baghdad as protesters gather for the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders killed by US Military strikes on Friday morning. The crowd chants ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel’ as they mourn the loss.
On Friday around 1 a.m, the United States Military confirmed the killing of General Qasem Soleimani of Iran’s Quds Force in a drone strike ordered by President Donald Trump.
Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of the Iran-backed Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), were among those killed in the US drone attack at Baghdad International Airport just after landing in Iraq.
The Iraqis, marching through Baghdad as part of the funeral procession, are carrying anti-American placards and singing Anti-American slogans, according to reports by CNN.
The burial procession began at the Imam Kadhim shrine in Baghdad, one of the most revered sites in Shia Islam. The solemn procession moved through the streets alongside militia vehicles while helicopters hovered in the sky.
The burial procession will be held in the holy Shia cities of Karbala and Najaf, before Suleimani’s remains are returned to Iran on Sunday morning according to Iranian media officials.
Iran’s ambassador to the UN declared that there will be revenge. “There will be harsh revenge,” Majid Takht Ravanchi told CNN. “The time, the place, will be decided by Iran.”
See Video of the burial procession below.