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Graphic shows key dates in the life of Major General Qasem Soleimani.
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MILITARY

General Soleimani was Iran's celebrity soldier

By Duncan Mil

January 3, 2020 - The U.S. has killed Iran’s top military leader General Qassem Soleimani -- head of the elite Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) -- in a drone strike in Iraq.

The 62-year old was killed at Baghdad airport, alongside Abu Mahdi al Muhandis, deputy commander of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (Hashed al-Shaabi), early on Friday in a strike ordered by President Donald Trump.

Gen Soleimani’s assassination marks a major escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said “severe revenge” awaits those behind the attack. He also announced three days of national mourning.

Global oil prices have soared by more than 4% in the wake of the attack.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 03/01/2020; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Getty Images
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