In pics: Who was Qassem Soleimani and why was he killed by the US?

All you need to know about the Iranian Major-General killed by the US in an air strike ordered by President Donald Trump at Baghdad airport

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Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani was killed by the US on January 3, in an air strike at Baghdad airport ordered by President Donald Trump.

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Soleimani's ascent to power began during the 1979 Iranian revolution that led to the establishment of an Islamic Republic. He rose through the ranks of Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force and his proximity with the supreme leader helped him. In 1998 he became the head of the Guards.

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Soleimani's work in Iraq did not stop there. The rebels are said to have continued to get help from Iran. Iraqis have on several occasions violently opposed the presence of US forces on their land. In December 2019, when a US contractor was killed in Iraq, an enraged US President Donald Trump had blamed Iran. Trump has often accused Iran of violating the nuclear deal and warned Teheran of serious consequences.

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In a series of tweets, the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khameini, condoled the death of Soleimani. Warning "the criminals who bloodied their foul hands with his (Soleimani’s) blood", he said there would be "severe revenge" and vowed, "God willing, his work and his path will not be stopped". A three-day public mourning was declared in Iran in Soliemani's honour.