Iranians mark 5th anniversary of Lt. Gen. Soleimani martyrdom

General Soleimani’s hometown and burial site hosted a deluge of the legendary commander’s lovers and followers from all walks of life and various social strata on Thursday in a cold snowy weather on his fifth martyrdom anniversary.

Commemorations and special events to remember General Soleimani are also being held in several other cities, including the capital Tehran.

General Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), and their companions were assassinated in a US drone strike authorized by then-US President Donald Trump near the Iraqi capital Baghdad’s International Airport on January 3, 2020.

Both commanders were highly revered across West Asia because of their key role in fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.

In less than a week after the attack, Iraqi lawmakers approved a bill that required the government to expel all US-led foreign forces from the country.

The IRGC also targeted the US-run Ain al-Asad base in Iraq’s western province of Anbar with a wave of missile attacks in retaliation for the assassination of General Soleimani.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Wednesday praised as “unique” the sacrifices of Iran’s top anti-terror commander.

“Martyr Soleimani’s constant strategy was to revive the Resistance Front. He always tried to revitalize the resistance,” the Leader stated.

An Iranian court in December ruled that the United States government and a number of individuals and entities should pay nearly $50 billion in compensation for their roles in the assassination of General Soleimani.