translated from Spanish: To the cry of “America is the great Satan” thousands fire in Baghdad Iranian general killed in attack

At the cry of “America is the great Satan,” thousands of people took part in Baghdad on Saturday in the funeral procession of Iran’s chief general and Iraqi insurgent leaders killed in a Us airstrike on the eve. General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Iranian group Force Quds and architect of the Islamic Republic’s security strategy abroad, died in the early hours of Friday in an attack in the vicinity of the airport of the Iraqi capital that has tensions in the region. Iran promised to respond to the attack harshly, raising fears of a possible all-out war. Us President Donald Trump said he ordered the operation to avoid a conflict. The White House noted that Soleimani was preparing a series of attacks that endangered U.S. officials and soldiers, but offered no evidence. A U.S.-led coalition official in Iraq said the contingent reduced its operations and strengthened “security and defensive measures” at the bases where they are housed. The person responsible spoke on condition of anonymity in compliance with the body’s standards. Washington sent 3, 000 reinforcement soldiers to the region. FUNERALSoleimani was the architect of Iran’s regional policy of mobilizing militias in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, including in the war against the extremist group Islamic State. He has been charged with attacks on U.S. and Allied troops since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.Funeral attendees, mostly men in black military uniforms, were carrying Iraqi flags and Tehran-backed militias, which were extremely loyal to Soleimani. They also mourned the death of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a prominent Iraqi militia commander who was the victim of the same operation. The march began at Imam Kadhim’s temple in Baghdad, one of the most important sites of Shia Islam. The entourage entourage toured the streets next to the militia vehicles in a solemn procession. Participants, many of them crying, sang “No, no, America” and “Death to America, Death to Israel.” Mohammed Fadl, one of those in mourning, noted that the funeral is a show of loyalty to fallen leaders: “This is a painful blow, but it will not shake us.” Two helicopters controlled the procession, attended by Iraq’s prime minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, and Iranian-sponsored guerrilla leaders.The gates of Baghdad’s Green Zone, where government buildings and embassies, including the Americans, they were closed. In a climate of high tension throughout the region, an airstrike on a convoy of Iran-backed militiamen north of Baghdad was reported overnight. Hours later, both the Iraqi army and the Washington-led coalition denied the incident. The Popular Mobilization Forces, a group that brings together most pro-Iran groups, and security sources reported an airstrike in Taji, north of the capital. An Iraqi security source said five people were killed and two vehicles were destroyed. It was not immediately clear whether there had been any kind of explosion. Iraq, which is a close ally of both Washington and Tehran, condened the attack that killed Soleimani and added that it was a violation of its sovereignty. Parliament is scheduled to hold an extraordinary session on Sunday and the government was under increasing pressure to expel the 5,200 soldiers seated in the nation to help prevent the resurgence of Islamic State. citizens leaving Iran and closed their embassy in Baghdad, which earlier this week was raided by militiamen sponsored by Iran and its followers in two days of protests before the complex. No one was injured in the protests, which were a response to Us airstrikes that killed 25 pro-Iran militiamen in Iraq and Syria. Washington explained that this operation was the replica of a rocket attack that killed a U.S. contractor in northern Iran, for which the militias are blamed. The soleimani bombing came after months of rising tensions between the two nations following Trump’s decision to unilaterally withdraw from the 2015 nuclear pact and resume crippling economic sanctions. The “maximum pressure” campaign led Iran to openly abandon the commitments under the agreement. The United States blames Iran for a wave of attacks in the region, including sabotage of tankers in the Persian Gulf and an attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry in September that caused its temporary production to be halved. The Islamic Republic denies involvement in these actions, although it acknowledged shooting down a US surveillance drone in June that allegedly violated its airspace. World powers warned Friday that Soleimani’s assassination could lead to a dangerous new escalation and many called for restraint. In Iran, major newspapers and state television were focusing on Saturday’s death of the general, and even reformist newspapers like Aftab-e Yazd warned that “revenge is on the way.” Posters with the image of Soleimani appeared on the main streets, many with the warning of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that a “strong revenge” awaits the United States.The President of Iran, Hasan Ruhani, a relatively moderate politician, visited Soleimani’s home in Tehran to offer his condolences.” Americans don’t realize the big mistake they’ve made,” the representative said. “You will see the effects of this criminal act, not only today but in the years to come.”

Original source in Spanish