By Steven Johnson
General Qassem Soleimani was martyred by an American drone at Baghdad airport on the 3rd of January 2020, while visiting the country by invitation of the Iraqi government.
US soldiers and their President, Donald Trump realised that they could not confront him on the battlefield and triumph; hence they committed this crime in a vile and cowardly manner, disregarding international law.
Attempts to vilify him remain futile because women and children of Palestine, Iraq and Syria attest that Soleimani defended their honour against Zionist and ISIS terrorists, respectively.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded to the assassination with missiles and attacked the American base, sending fear and panic to the oppressive and arrogant American government.
According to the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khamenei, their main punishment which is their expulsion from the region, is yet to come.
Soleimani was martyred for the reason that he resisted tyranny, oppression, injustice and evil perpetrated by America and Zionists in the region. He fought bravely and defeated ISIS terrorists and other similar factions, to the dismay of their masters.
His bravery can be likened to that of the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, Imam Hussein who revolted against the burdensome Umayyad ruler Yazid and was tragically killed - so is Soleimani in the eyes of those who loved him and continue to do so.
The assassination did not cease the resistance; instead his forces continued to defend the honour of the oppressed. And on that account General Qassem Soleimani remains a global icon of resistance.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Independent Media or IOL.