Iranian state television TV says the stampede erupted in Kerman, the hometown of Qasem Soleimani. (Photo Credit: Reuters)
New Delhi:
At least 35 people were killed and 50 others were injured after a stampede erupted at a funeral procession for Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani, reported Iranian state television. Over 1 million people had gathered in the Iranian capital to attend the funeral of Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike. This led to overcrowding of both main thoroughfares and side streets in Tehran.
The TV says the stampede erupted in Kerman, the hometown of Qasem Soleimani.
Who Was General Qasem Soleimani?
Soleimani was one of the most popular figures in Iran and seen as a deadly adversary by America and its allies. General Soleimani, who headed the external operations Quds Force for the Guards, had wielded his regional clout publicly since 2018 when it was revealed that he had direct involvement in top-level talks over the formation of Iraq's government. It was no surprise at the time for a man who has been at the centre of power-broking in the region for two decades.
Soleimani has been in and out of Baghdad ever since, most recently last month as parties sought to form a new government. Where once he kept to the shadows, Soleimani has in recent years become an unlikely celebrity in Iran -- replete with a huge following on Instagram.
His profile rose suddenly when he was pushed forward as the public face of Iran's intervention in the Syrian conflict from 2013, appearing in battlefield photos, documentaries -- and even being featured in a music video and animated film. In a rare interview aired on Iranian state television in October, he said he was in Lebanon during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war to oversee the conflict.
To his fans and enemies alike, Soleimani was the key architect of Iran's regional influence, leading the fight against jihadist forces and extending Iran's diplomatic heft in Iraq, Syria and beyond. "To Middle Eastern Shiites, he is James Bond, Erwin Rommel and Lady Gaga rolled into one," wrote former CIA analyst Kenneth Pollack in a profile for Time's 100 most influential people in 2017.
