Daily Times

Since Hezbollah’s war with Israel in 2006, the name of General of Qasim Suleimani, the commander of Al Quds Force of IRGC, has got the attention of western mainstream media. He became the commander of Al Quds force that oversees Iranian Revolutionary Guards foreign operations from the Levant to the Mediterranean in 1998. Since then, he kept a low profile but his smart military strategies soared with the influence of Iran in the Levant region. This ranges from training and organising Hezbollah Militias in Lebanon to training Hashd al-Shaabi, often known as Popular Mobilisation Forces in Iraq. In the wake of 9/11 attacks, Al-Quds militias, under his command, collaborated with the US forces to hunt down Al-Qaeda terrorists to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan. Even his trained militias helped the US forces in toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. He was a close aide of Iraq’s Grand Shia Cleric Muqtada al Sadr and Noor al-Maliki, the former prime minister of Iraq. What happened then? Why the US designated General Qasim Suleimani as a foreign terrorist? Here is the reason.

In the wake of the Syrian Civil War, the regime of Iran’s close ally, Bashar al-Assad, was at stake because, for decades, Iran had been using Syrian soil to support its Hezbollah militia in Lebanon from financing to arms supplies. As a result of the civil war, the influence of Iran on the Syrian soil was in severe danger, which compelled Iran to operationalise Al-Quds force in the Syrian civil war to support the regime of Bashar al-Assad. General Qasim Suleimani was a pious and pan-Islamist man having a close friendship with Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khomeini. When the ISIS appeared as a vital fighting force in the Syrian civil war by expanding its territorial operation beyond Iraqi border into Syria with an ambition of establishing the caliphate, the attention of the US shifted from toppling Assad regime to fighting the ISIS.

In both Syria and Iraq, Al Quds allied militias fought the ISIS group alongside the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and Iraqi military. But with the growing Syrian regime support for the Al-Quds militias in Syria along with Russian Airpower, the influence of Iranian-backed militias grew stronger over time. The IRGC’s operations, under the command of General Qasim Suleimani, made it possible for Iran to establish its military bases in Syria. In this way, Iran gradually emerged as a permanent stakeholder in the Syrian conflict. This is what intrigued the US, which became concerned with the growing influence of Iran in the Persian Gulf and beyond. There are several reasons why General Qasim Suliemani was a strategic threat to the US’s presence in the Middle East?

First and foremost, he was a great military tactician because, under his command, the influence of Iran in Iraq, Yamen, Lebanon and Syria grew at a faster pace. Moreover, the US closely monitored his grand military strategies and was acquainted with his capabilities, especially his popular role in the Syrian conflict.

Secondly, he was a popular face in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yamen, which was, indeed, a direct threat to the US military presence in the Middle East.

In the wake of the Syrian Civil War, the regime of Iran’s close ally, Bashar al-Assad, was at stake

Especially, his popularity between the Shia population of Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria depicted a clear sign of popular support to his foreign operations, which was a direct threat to the geopolitical interests of the US and its allies in the region.

Thirdly, he was the mastermind of training and organising Shia Militias under the banner of Iran across the Middle East. Proxies like Hashd al-Shabi in Iraq, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen and Hamas in Gaza were under his direct command. Moreover, his growing leadership as a popular military commander among the foreign Shia Militias threatened both the US and its close allies in the Middle East.

Fourthly, his strong intelligence network marked every inch of the US’s military presence in the Middle East ranges from spotting US intelligence sleeper cells to military bases. Likewise, his well-informed tactical nature and growing role in Iran’s foreign operations made him an existential threat to the US’s security in the Middle East.

Lastly, as a strong commander of IRGC, his close ties with the Iranian Supreme leader made him a rigid revolutionary ideologue. His rigidity was filled with the anti-American and anti-Israeli ideology that made him a viable villain for Americans and Israelis. There were almost more than 20 assassinations on his life, which he survived.

Finally, he was precisely targeted along with his comrades in Iraq. His assassination was applauded by the US allies in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. Although he may be a villain for Americans, Saudis and Israelis, he is still a hero for the hardcore Shia ideologies across the globe. Moreover, a large number of Iranians personify him and imitate his hard-line ideology as a sacred cause. In this regard, he may be dead for Americans but the influence of his hardcore ideological beliefs will remain ideal for thousands of his followers.

The writer is a postgraduate student of Politics and International studies, and a freelance writer