Memorial services commemorate al-Muhandis, Soleimani's death in Erbil, al-Sulaymaniyah

Shafaq News/ Iran's Consulate-General in Kurdistan's capital city, Erbil, on Thursday organized a memorial service for Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iraq's al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces-PMF) who were killed in a US airstrike near Baghdad's international airport in January 2020.

Shafaq News Agency correspondent said that the region's minister of Endowment Pshtiwan Sadiq, and communities Aiden Maarouf, in addition to the member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party's Politburo Fadhel al-Mirani attended the event.

Al-Sulaymaniyah commemorated the slain commanders' death in a Thursday ceremony attended by a group of politicians, government officials, Iranian diplomats, and public figures.

In his inauguration speech, the ceremony's presenter, Ahmed Barzanji, praised al-Muhandis and Soleimani's role in the battle against ISIS, particularly in the territories near the Kurdistan region, in addition to the support they provided for the Peshmerga forces during the war.

The contributions of Soleimani and al-Muhandis were the hallmark of the consecutive speeches delivered during the event.

Iran and groups allied with it in Iraq and other countries have been holding events to honor Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, the overseas arm of the elite Revolutionary Guards.

Soleimani, Iran's most powerful military commander, was killed by a US air strike near the airport on January 3, 2020. The 62-year-old spearheaded Iranian military operations in the Middle East as head of Iran's elite Quds Force.

He was killed at the Baghdad airport, along with al-Muhandis, the PMF's deputy commander back then, in a strike ordered by former US President Donald Trump.

Iranian judicial officials have communicated with authorities in nine countries after identifying 127 suspects in the case, including 74 U.S. nationals.

Confirming the Iranian general's death at the time, the US Department of Defense said, "Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region." The IRGC is a US-designated terrorist organization.

The attack came hours after then-US defense secretary Mark Esper said Washington was ready to step up activities to push Iran-backed forces out of Iraq, including preemptive strikes.

The assassination marked a major escalation in a simmering conflict between the US and Iran. Several days after the general’s death, Iran responded by firing ballistic missiles at two US bases in Iraq. The Pentagon said dozens of troops suffered traumatic brain injuries as a result