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| At Baghdad funeral procession for Qasem Soleimani, calls for retaliation against the United States | At Baghdad funeral procession for Qasem Soleimani, calls for retaliation against the United States |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| BAGHDAD — Amid calls for revenge, funeral processions were held early Saturday for Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's elite Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a powerful Iraqi militia leader, who were killed by an American drone strike on the orders of President Trump. | BAGHDAD — Amid calls for revenge, funeral processions were held early Saturday for Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's elite Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a powerful Iraqi militia leader, who were killed by an American drone strike on the orders of President Trump. |
| Thousands of mourners joined the procession, waving Iraqi flags and the banners of the Iraqi paramilitary forces that are backed by Iran and known collectively as the Hashd al-Shaabi. As the mourners set out from the Baghdad neighborhood of Kadhimiyah, officials from Iraq and Iran, along with militia leaders, were seen making their way through the throngs flanked by burly guards. | Thousands of mourners joined the procession, waving Iraqi flags and the banners of the Iraqi paramilitary forces that are backed by Iran and known collectively as the Hashd al-Shaabi. As the mourners set out from the Baghdad neighborhood of Kadhimiyah, officials from Iraq and Iran, along with militia leaders, were seen making their way through the throngs flanked by burly guards. |
| Helicopters shadowed the crowds. “Death to America, death to Israel,” people chanted. “We will take our revenge!” | Helicopters shadowed the crowds. “Death to America, death to Israel,” people chanted. “We will take our revenge!” |
| Iran has vowed to retaliate against the United States for the killing of Soleimani, Tehran’s most powerful military commander, and the Trump administration has said it is sending thousands of new troops to the Middle East. The looming confrontation has left the region bracing for an escalation of violence, and Iraq, caught between its allies in Tehran and Washington, fears the country will be at the center of the storm. | Iran has vowed to retaliate against the United States for the killing of Soleimani, Tehran’s most powerful military commander, and the Trump administration has said it is sending thousands of new troops to the Middle East. The looming confrontation has left the region bracing for an escalation of violence, and Iraq, caught between its allies in Tehran and Washington, fears the country will be at the center of the storm. |
| An Iranian commander quoted by the Tasnim News Agency on Saturday suggested that dozens of American facilities and military assets in the Middle East were at risk, along with Israel, a key U.S. ally. | An Iranian commander quoted by the Tasnim News Agency on Saturday suggested that dozens of American facilities and military assets in the Middle East were at risk, along with Israel, a key U.S. ally. |
| “Thirty-five vital American positions in the region are within the reach of the Islamic Republic, and Tel Aviv,” the commander, Brig. Gen. Gholamali Abuhamzeh, was quoted as saying. “The Strait of Hormuz is a vital thoroughfare for the West, and a large number of American destroyers and warships cross the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf,” he added. | “Thirty-five vital American positions in the region are within the reach of the Islamic Republic, and Tel Aviv,” the commander, Brig. Gen. Gholamali Abuhamzeh, was quoted as saying. “The Strait of Hormuz is a vital thoroughfare for the West, and a large number of American destroyers and warships cross the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf,” he added. |
| Later on Saturday, rockets were fired toward Baghdad’s Green Zone, where the U.S. Embassy is located, and at an airbase hosting U.S. troops north of Baghdad, but they caused no casualties, according to Iraqi and U.S. officials. | |
| Meanwhile, Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia backed by Iran, warned members of Iraqi security forces to keep more than half a mile away from U.S. military bases, beginning on Sunday evening. The militia, which led a siege of the U.S. Embassy before Soleimani’s killing, did not say why it issued the warning. | |
| The Arab states of the Persian Gulf have reacted nervously to the escalating tensions, given their proximity to Iran and fearing a backlash because of their close partnerships, including military cooperation, with the United States. | The Arab states of the Persian Gulf have reacted nervously to the escalating tensions, given their proximity to Iran and fearing a backlash because of their close partnerships, including military cooperation, with the United States. |
| How Trump decided to kill a top Iranian general | How Trump decided to kill a top Iranian general |
| Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Iran’s main rivals in the Arab world, have for years implored the United States to take stronger action against Iranian expansion in the region. Since Soleimani’s killing, however, both have called for de-escalation and restraint. | Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Iran’s main rivals in the Arab world, have for years implored the United States to take stronger action against Iranian expansion in the region. Since Soleimani’s killing, however, both have called for de-escalation and restraint. |
| In another sign of the gulf states’ alarm, Qatar’s foreign minister traveled to Tehran on Saturday to meet with his Iranian counterpart. The two discussed “ways to maintain collective security of the region,” the Qatar News Agency said. | In another sign of the gulf states’ alarm, Qatar’s foreign minister traveled to Tehran on Saturday to meet with his Iranian counterpart. The two discussed “ways to maintain collective security of the region,” the Qatar News Agency said. |
| A spokesman for the U.S.-led military coalition against the Islamic State said that “we have increased security and defensive measures at the Iraqi bases that host anti-ISIS coalition troops. Our command places protection of U.S. forces, as well as our allies and security partners in the coalition, as the top priority; we remain vigilant and resolute.” | A spokesman for the U.S.-led military coalition against the Islamic State said that “we have increased security and defensive measures at the Iraqi bases that host anti-ISIS coalition troops. Our command places protection of U.S. forces, as well as our allies and security partners in the coalition, as the top priority; we remain vigilant and resolute.” |
| NATO, which has several hundred personnel in Iraq, said Saturday that it has temporarily suspended its training of Iraqi forces to counter the Islamic State, according to Dylan White, a NATO spokesman. “The safety of our personnel in Iraq is paramount. We continue to take all precautions necessary,” he said in an emailed statement. | NATO, which has several hundred personnel in Iraq, said Saturday that it has temporarily suspended its training of Iraqi forces to counter the Islamic State, according to Dylan White, a NATO spokesman. “The safety of our personnel in Iraq is paramount. We continue to take all precautions necessary,” he said in an emailed statement. |
| The Pentagon said Friday that it was preparing to deploy an additional 3,500 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the region. According to two defense officials, the military also has put hundreds of soldiers from the Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade in Italy on alert for potential deployment. | The Pentagon said Friday that it was preparing to deploy an additional 3,500 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the region. According to two defense officials, the military also has put hundreds of soldiers from the Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade in Italy on alert for potential deployment. |
| Trump told reporters Friday that the United States killed Soleimani in a bid to “stop a war.” The president, speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, urged Iran not to retaliate. “We did not take action to start a war,” he said. | Trump told reporters Friday that the United States killed Soleimani in a bid to “stop a war.” The president, speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, urged Iran not to retaliate. “We did not take action to start a war,” he said. |
| The drone attack early Friday local time struck a two-car convoy on an access road near Baghdad International Airport and also killed several of Soleimani’s local allies. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi called the attack “an assassination” that was in “flagrant violation of the conditions authorizing the presence of U.S. troops” on Iraqi soil. | The drone attack early Friday local time struck a two-car convoy on an access road near Baghdad International Airport and also killed several of Soleimani’s local allies. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi called the attack “an assassination” that was in “flagrant violation of the conditions authorizing the presence of U.S. troops” on Iraqi soil. |
| Abdul-Karim Khalaf, a security spokesman for Iraq’s prime minister, said Saturday that authorities were investigating crew members who were on the aircraft that brought Soleimani to Baghdad, reportedly from Damascus — apparently to determine how the United States had learned of the Iranian commander’s whereabouts. | Abdul-Karim Khalaf, a security spokesman for Iraq’s prime minister, said Saturday that authorities were investigating crew members who were on the aircraft that brought Soleimani to Baghdad, reportedly from Damascus — apparently to determine how the United States had learned of the Iranian commander’s whereabouts. |
| Khalaf, speaking to Iraq’s state news agency, reiterated that U.S. forces are not allowed to conduct military operations in Iraq without the approval of the prime minister, and he hinted that their future in the country is in doubt. | Khalaf, speaking to Iraq’s state news agency, reiterated that U.S. forces are not allowed to conduct military operations in Iraq without the approval of the prime minister, and he hinted that their future in the country is in doubt. |
| “We have alternatives to train our armed forces,” Khalaf said. | “We have alternatives to train our armed forces,” Khalaf said. |
| Soleimani joined Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a young man and took control of the Quds Force, its special operations wing, in the late 1990s. Under his command, the force built alliances across the region by paying for weapons and providing strategic guidance. Soleimani was regularly photographed on visits to affiliated militias in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere, burnishing his reputation as a talismanic operator with influence across the Middle East. | Soleimani joined Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a young man and took control of the Quds Force, its special operations wing, in the late 1990s. Under his command, the force built alliances across the region by paying for weapons and providing strategic guidance. Soleimani was regularly photographed on visits to affiliated militias in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere, burnishing his reputation as a talismanic operator with influence across the Middle East. |
| The U.S. strike killed some of the Quds Force’s key allies, including Jamal Jaafar Ibrahimi, a powerful Iraqi militia leader better known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy leader of the Hashd al-Shaabi militias. Ibrahimi is being buried in the sacred Shiite city of Najaf later on Saturday, officials said, and Soleimani’s body was scheduled to be flown back to Iran for burial there. | The U.S. strike killed some of the Quds Force’s key allies, including Jamal Jaafar Ibrahimi, a powerful Iraqi militia leader better known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy leader of the Hashd al-Shaabi militias. Ibrahimi is being buried in the sacred Shiite city of Najaf later on Saturday, officials said, and Soleimani’s body was scheduled to be flown back to Iran for burial there. |
| As the heavily guarded procession made its way through Jadriyah, in central Baghdad, trailed by tearful residents as well as soldiers, cars mounted with loudspeakers provided a soundtrack that mixed political commentary with angry slogans. | As the heavily guarded procession made its way through Jadriyah, in central Baghdad, trailed by tearful residents as well as soldiers, cars mounted with loudspeakers provided a soundtrack that mixed political commentary with angry slogans. |
| “America will pay a heavy price!” a man yelled over the speaker. Iraq’s parliament, he added, should expel U.S. forces. | “America will pay a heavy price!” a man yelled over the speaker. Iraq’s parliament, he added, should expel U.S. forces. |
| A man in the crowd disagreed, saying the Americans should stay in Iraq, “so we can bury them here.” | A man in the crowd disagreed, saying the Americans should stay in Iraq, “so we can bury them here.” |
| The funeral was “an opportunity,” said a young militiaman wearing a camouflage hat, interviewed on local Iraqi television. “The resistance is united, against the enemies of Islam, and the enemies of humanity,” he said, singling out the United States. | The funeral was “an opportunity,” said a young militiaman wearing a camouflage hat, interviewed on local Iraqi television. “The resistance is united, against the enemies of Islam, and the enemies of humanity,” he said, singling out the United States. |
| Loveluck reported from Beirut and Fahim from Istanbul. | Loveluck reported from Beirut and Fahim from Istanbul. |
| Why Soleimani’s killing is different from other targeted attacks by U.S. | Why Soleimani’s killing is different from other targeted attacks by U.S. |
| With missile strike, Trump opts for escalation and a swing at a ‘hornets’ nest’ | With missile strike, Trump opts for escalation and a swing at a ‘hornets’ nest’ |
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