Iran’s elite Quds Forces Commander Qassem Soleimani (C), June 30, 2018. Photo: AP
Omar Sindi | Exclusive to Ekurd.net
In general terms, Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was a rising star in the Shia Crescent in Middle Eastern politics, as it has been observed he was criss-crossing in countries with a large Shia community, such as in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, and interfering with those countries’ civil wars. Perhaps ambitious of a revival of the Fatimid Caliphate of the 12th Century in the Middle East, Iran was and is ingrained in Syria’s civil war, militarily and economically.
At the time he was struck by the US drone at Baghdad airport, it was reported he was coming from Lebanon and Syria, he, with his abettors were struck with missiles at Baghdad International Airport, which is outside Iranian border, by a US drone; obviously, the number two man in the Iranian theocratic regime, after Ayatollah Khamenei, it appeared, he was not on a good mission, he represented Tehran’s malign behavior in the region, perhaps he was not happy with ongoing anti-Iranian regime demonstrations in Iraq, including the attack on the Iranian Consulate by the people of Karbala City – Iraq. It was also reported by the US that Soleimani was planning further attacks on US personnel and facilities by his proxies, so called Hashed al-Shaabi in Iraq .
As news of Soleimani’s killing broke out throughout international Media-outlets; at the same time it was also observed in the media outlets that some Kurdish political parties and individuals were jubilant of his killing and his demise from the political stage of interference in the regional countries. There is no doubt that he was a foe of the Kurdish movements; as it was observed both his decisive roles politically and personally forewarned the Kurdish leaders of the consequences that cessation would have during the Kurdish initiation of the referendum in October of 2017, especially his participation in his commanding role during the Kirkuk City reoccupation by the Iraqi and Iranian forces…
General Qassem Soleimani can be replaced with another general perhaps as bad as General Soleimani was. Although international factors that have played very negative roles on the Kurdish issue of the liberation movements and have assisted our neighbors; but one of the prime factors of the hindrance of the achievement for the Kurds is not having a national coherent geopolitical strategy; which is a politician(s) or political party(s) to estimate to how it will succeed or perhaps how failures are going to affect his own interests. Or… each political party imposes his political party’s interests above the national interests…
“Urgent measures’ should be taken to remove foreign forces” was the outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s recommendation; these forces were invited in the summer of 2014 by the Iraqi government at the time, when the nihilistic ISIS were at the gates of Baghdad. Mr. Prime Minister should bear in mind, though this is unlikely to happen, but if the removal of the US soldiers and the coalition forces happens, most likely it will be the end of Iraqi state as we know it, because the two regional competing powers will be more than happy to split Iraq up, Iran to take the Shia area, and Turkey to take over the Sunni area, and it will cause greater regional conflicts for years to come, if not centuries! Mr. Prime Minister should investigate corruption cases which are plaquing Iraqi society, look into corruption cases like Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki… which was reported by the Lebanoni Magazine that the son of Maliki, Ahmed, was arrested 2014, in Lebanon with 1.5 billion US dollars of cash with him, trying to transfer it to Lebanon from Iraq, at the time when non partisan Iraqi people didn’t have more than 2 to 3 hours of electricity per day…
Even though Iran’s rhetoric motions are very high about the revenge, nothing is impossible, but in my view it is unlikely to happen currently, because the theocratic regime in Tehran has a very dissenting internal issue, they just brutally put down anti government protests in many cities in Iran and Iran’s economy also is in a dire situation. Those people in Iraq who are demonstrating against the killing of notorious like Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani; they should go and ask non-partisan people in Iran how their daily life has been impacted under the theocratic regime’s Iron fist policy, and what that looks like.
As for those people demonstrating in Iran against the killing of Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad airport, most likely those demonstrators were forced to go because if they didn’t go, if they are government employees, factory workers, teachers, municipality workers, they will lose their jobs. During Ayatollah Khomeini’s funeral, who died in June 1989, the factory workers, teachers, high school students, were told by the authorities they must go to the funeral procession or face consequences…
Omar Sindi, a senior writer, analyst and columnist for Ekurd.net, Washington, United States.
The opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Ekurd.net or its editors.
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