Thousands of people have flocked to the streets of Baghdad for the funeral of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani and Iraqi officials who died after a US airstrike.
The powerful Iranian commander, Qassem Suleimani, was one of the most popular figures in Iran, and one of the most feared opponents for the US and many of their allies. He was killed in a bombing at a Baghdad international airport by a US airstrike.
Among the slogans shouted by the crowd is “death for America“.
The majority of those involved in the funeral procession are men wearing black military uniforms while holding both Iraqi flags and flags of Iranian-backed organizations that were loyal to Suleyman.
The procession began at the Al-Kadhimiya Mosque a Shia Islamic mosque and shrine in Baghdad. A Crowd of people with tears in their eyes shout “No, no, America” and “Death for America, death in Israel”.
One of the participants in the funeral procession, Mohammed Fadl, said the funeral was an expression of dedication to the murdered leaders. “It’s a painful blow, but it won’t shake us”, he said.
Two helicopters fly over the procession, attended by Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi and Iranian-backed militia leaders.
The gates to Baghdad’s Green Zone, where government offices and foreign embassies are located, including the US embassy, remain closed.