The commander of Iran’s special forces unit Quds Force has denied rumors that he has died. General Qassem Soleimani was reported to have been injured or killed while fighting in Syria, although these have been dismissed by The Guards as being part of a “psychological war."
Soleimani is an Iran-Iraq war veteran and a key player in the Syrian conflict, being credited with helping the Syrian government turn the tide against rebel forces. He is also known for his role in the fight against Daesh (ISIS) by helping organize Iraqi militias to fight against the extremist group.
He visited Moscow in July, a visit which was reported as having been a major step towards Russian intervention in the conflict and has changed the battlefield immensely.
Given his status and high up position, he reports directly to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
An exiled Iranian opposition group named Mujahedin-e-Khalq last week said that he had been hospitalized in Tehran after suffering severe shrapnel wounds on Aleppo’s southern front. Social media users even went as far as saying he had died.
Tasnim News Agency in Iran quoted him as saying on Monday from his Tehran office that “this [martyrdom] is something that I have been seeking in the plains and the mountains.”
