Qasem Soleimani

Qasem Soleimani Full Name: Qasem Soleimani Alias: The crown prince of terrorism The Shadow Commander Haj Qasem Origin: Qanat-e Malek, Kerman, Imperial State of Iran Occupation: Major General in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander of the Quds Force Skills: Military training Very high intelligence Hobby: Proxy warfare Goals: Serve the Islamic Republic Of Iran (succeeded) Expand Iran’s influence in the Middle East via proxy warfare Crimes: War Crimes Murder Type of Villain: Warlord

Qasem Soleimani (March 11^th, 1957 – January 3^rd, 2020) was an Iranian general who was the commander of the Iranian Quds Force, the branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) which dealt with proxy warfare. He was often named the mastermind of Iranian proxy warfare in the Middle East, thus, expanding Iran’s influence in the region. Sources have also called him the second most powerful person in Iran after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, whom he had a close relationship with.

Soleimani began his military career during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, fighting against Ba’athist Iraq under Saddam Hussein. In 1998, he became the head of the Quds Force. He provided support to Hezbollah in Lebanon as well as supported Bashar al-Assad in Syria, fighting ISIS as well as Syrian opposition.

Soleimani was often compared to characters such as Karla, Keyser Söze, and the Scarlet Pinpernel, all of which were cunning, psychopathic masterminds of their universes.

He was killed by an American drone strike in Baghdad's International Airport, which has resulted in further tensions with Iran and the United States. The strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Deputy Chairman of the Iraqi militia force Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

Biography

Soleimani was born on 11 March 1957.The Iranian government, Voice of America and other news media state that he was born in the village of Qanat-e Malek, Kerman Province, while the United States Department of State in 2007 listed his birthplace as Qom, Qom Province. In his youth, he moved to the city of Kerman and worked as a construction worker to help repay a debt his father owed. In 1975, he began working as a contractor for the Kerman Water Organization. When not at work, he spent his time lifting weights in local gyms and attending the sermons of a traveling preacher, Hojjat Kamyab, a protege of Ali Khamenei.

Soleimani joined the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) in 1979 following the Iranian Revolution, which saw Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi fall and Ayatollah Khomeini take power. Reportedly, his training was minimal, but he advanced rapidly. Early in his career as a guardsman, he was stationed in northwestern Iran, and participated in the suppression of a Kurdish separatist uprising in West Azerbaijan Province.

On 22 September 1980, when Saddam Hussein launched an invasion of Iran, setting off the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), Soleimani joined the battlefield serving as the leader of a military company, consisting of men from Kerman whom he assembled and trained. He quickly earned a reputation for bravery, and rose through the ranks because of his role in the successful operations in retaking the lands Iraq had occupied, eventually becoming the commander of the 41st Tharallah Division while still in his 20s, participating in most major operations. He was mostly stationed at the southern front. He was seriously injured in Operation Tariq-ol-Qods. In a 1990 interview, he mentioned Operation Fath-ol-Mobin as "the best" operation he participated in and "very memorable", due to its difficulties yet positive outcome. He was also engaged in leading and organizing irregular warfare missions deep inside Iraq carried out by the Ramadan Headquarters. It was at this point that Soleimani established relations with Kurdish Iraqi leaders and the Shia Badr Organization, both of which were opposed to Iraq's Saddam Hussein.

On 17 July 1985, Soleimani opposed the IRGC leadership’s plan to deploy forces to two islands in western Arvand Rud (Shatt al-Arab).

After the war, during the 1990s, he was an IRGC commander in Kerman Province. In this region, which is relatively close to Afghanistan, Afghan-grown opium travels to Turkey and on to Europe. Soleimani's military experience helped him earn a reputation as a successful fighter against drug trafficking.

During the 1999 student revolt in Tehran, Soleimani was one of the IRGC officers who signed a letter to President Mohammad Khatami. The letter stated that if Khatami did not crush the student rebellion the military would, and it might also launch a coup against Khatami.