BAGHDAD: At least 56 people were killed in a stampede as tens of thousands of mourners packed streets for the funeral of a slain Iranian military commander in his hometown yesterday, forcing his burial to be delayed by several hours.
General Qasem Soleimani’s burial went ahead in the early evening in the southeastern city of Kerman, four days after his killing in a US drone strike in Iraq.
Soleimani, who commanded the elite Quds Force, was responsible for building up Tehran’s network of proxy armies across the Middle East. He was a pivotal figure in orchestrating Iran’s long-standing campaign to drive US forces out of Iraq.
Intelligence
US officials have said Soleimani was killed because of solid intelligence indicating forces under his command planned further attacks on US targets in the region.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday Washington had singled out 52 Iranian sites, including ones that are very important to Iranian culture, as targets if Iran attacks Americans or US assets in response to Soleimani’s death.
He, however, yesterday said he would obey international law against attacking cultural sites in military conflicts.
The stampede broke out amid the crush of mourners, killing 56 people, state television said. More than 210 people were injured, an emergency services official told the semi-official Fars news agency.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi yesteray said the country’s military joint operations command had received a letter from the US army concerning a possible US withdrawal. But he said the letter’s English and Arabic language versions were not identical and so Iraq had requested clarifications.
US Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had said on Monday that a leaked letter from the US military to Iraq that created impressions of an imminent US withdrawal was a poorly worded draft meant only to underscore an increased movement of forces in the region.
About 5,000 US troops remain in Iraq, where there has been a US military presence since the toppling of Saddam Hussein in a US-led 2003 invasion.
Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said 13 “revenge scenarios” were being considered, Fars news agency reported. Even the weakest option would prove “a historic nightmare for the Americans”, he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron, in a phone call to his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani, urged Tehran to avoid any actions that could worsen regional tensions.