Thousands of furious mourners thronged in the streets of Baghdad today during funeral processions for the slain Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and an Iraqi militia commander who died with him during yesterday's US strike.
They chanted 'Death to America' and 'America is the Great Satan' as they walked beside the coffins of Soleimani, architect of Iran's global military strategy, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Kataeb Hezbollah chief, in Baghdad.
The pair had been riding in a two-vehicle convoy which was decimated by three missiles from an American MQ-9 Reaper Drone in the early hours of Friday outside Baghdad International Airport.
The strike - which also killed four more Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards and five members of Iraq's pro-Iran paramilitary network - infuriated Tehran, who vowed jihad on America.
Meanwhile Iraq, whose prime minister attended the funerals today, threatened to order the expulsion of all US troops from the country after what it called 'a brazen violation of Iraq's sovereignty.'
President Donald Trump has said that he ordered the killing of Soleimani to prevent war, adding that the commander was plotting 'imminent and sinister' attacks against Americans.
'We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war,' the president said in brief remarks at Mar-a-Lago on Friday.
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Mourners carry the coffins of Iran's top general Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iran-backed militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, during their funeral in Karbala, Iraq +126
Mourners carry the coffins of Iran's top general Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iran-backed militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, during their funeral in Karbala, Iraq
Thousands attended the funeral procession and waved flags and banners in support of the slain military chiefs +126
Thousands attended the funeral procession and waved flags and banners in support of the slain military chiefs
Mourners lift up the coffins inside the Shrine of Imam Hussein in the Iraqi city of Karbala +126
Mourners lift up the coffins inside the Shrine of Imam Hussein in the Iraqi city of Karbala
An Iranian woman breaks down in tears during an anti-US rally to protest the killing of the popular and revered general +126
An Iranian woman breaks down in tears during an anti-US rally to protest the killing of the popular and revered general
Thousands of furious citizens thronged in the streets of Baghdad today during funeral processions for the slain Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and an Iraqi militia commander who died with him during yesterday's US strike +126
Thousands of furious citizens thronged in the streets of Baghdad today during funeral processions for the slain Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and an Iraqi militia commander who died with him during yesterday's US strike
An Iranian member of the Basij militia struggles to contain the emotion as he takes part in an anti-US rally in Baghdad +126
An Iranian member of the Basij militia struggles to contain the emotion as he takes part in an anti-US rally in Baghdad
In Baghdad, thousands of mourners, mostly men in black military fatigues, carried Iraqi flags and the flags of Iran-backed militias that are fiercely loyal to Soleimani at Saturday's ceremony.
They were also grieving Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a senior Iraqi militia commander who was killed in the same strike.
The mourners, many of them in tears, chanted 'No, No, America,' and 'Death to America, death to Israel.'
Mohammed Fadl, a mourner dressed in black, said the funeral is an expression of loyalty to the slain leaders. 'It is a painful strike, but it will not shake us,' he said.
Mourners surround a car carrying the coffin of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani through the streets of Baghdad on Saturday. The general was killed alongside Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US air strike early Friday outside Baghdad International Airport +126
Mourners surround a car carrying the coffin of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani through the streets of Baghdad on Saturday. The general was killed alongside Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US air strike early Friday outside Baghdad International Airport
Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani +126
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis +126
Funeral processions were held for the 62-year-old Soleimani (left), chief of the elite Quds Forces arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, as well Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, 66, (right) commander of a pro-Iran Iraqi militia in Baghdad on Saturday
Mourners gather during the funeral procession of slain Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (in the image, right), Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani (left) and others
