Anniversary of Ghassem Soleimani’s death
At least 20 dead in Iranian general’s hometown
Funeral ceremony for the killed Iranian general Ghassem Soleimani in Kerman in January 2020. Photo
© Uncredited/Iran Press/AP/dpa
In January 2020, the USA killed Iranian General Ghassem Soleimani in a drone strike in Iraq. On the day of his death there is an explosion in the hometown of the man who was killed.
On the anniversary of the death of the powerful Iranian general Ghassem At least 20 people were killed in an explosion in Soleimani’s hometown of Kerman. 40 others were injured, the state news agency Irna reported on Wednesday, citing the emergency service in the city of Kerman. Their reporters spoke of a “horrific sound of an explosion.” There were also reports from Iranian media of a second explosion.
Kerman’s deputy governor spoke of a terrorist attack, as state broadcaster Irib reported.
Kerman in central Iran is the home of Ghassem Soleimani, the former commander of the foreign units of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The USA killed him in a drone strike in Iraq on January 3, 2020. Soleimani is revered as a martyr by government supporters loyal to the system.
On Wednesday too, crowds of people made pilgrimages through the streets of Kerman to Soleimani’s grave site. In a segment broadcast live on state television, bangs and screams could be heard. During a reporter’s live broadcast, rescuers could be seen rushing to a hospital with injured people in the background. The exact reason for the explosion was initially unclear.