Qasem Soleimani, was killed in a US airstrike ordered by President Trump at the Baghdad International Airport on Friday. Qasem Soleimani was considered a hero in Iran, and was loved by his troops. Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, once called him a “living martyr of the revolution.”
The United States did not view Qasem in the same light as the Iranians. He was Iran’s top general and considered a ruthless killer. He was head of the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, an elite unit that handles Iran’s overseas operations. This made him one of the most powerful men in Iran.
What is the Quds Force, the elite Iranian military unit?
The Quds Force is elite paramilitary arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) built up an extensive network in the war- torn country, recruiting Iraqis and supporting not only Shiite militias, but also Shiites allied with the U.S. The Quds Force reportedly has 15,000 personnel.