Friday, February 17, 2017

Two Top Generals May Clash Over The Battle of Raqqa

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, Gen. Qasem Soleimani, uses a walkie-talkie at the front line during offensive operations against Islamic State militants in the town of Tal Ksaiba, Iraq, March 8, 2015. (photo by REUTERS/Stringer)

Metin Gurcan, Al-Monitor: Will Raqqa be site for clash of titan generals?


In this tale of two men, both are national heroes backed by unmatched political and popular support while commanding the best-equipped, most elite armed units in Iraq and Syria. More topically, both are now closely following the developments at al-Bab and preparing for their aftermath.

One of the two people I am talking about is already a well-known social phenomenon: Gen. Qasem Soleimani, known as “Iran’s sword in the Middle East.” Since 1988, he has been commanding the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His every visit to Iraq and Syria becomes a social media event, with all his pictures and statements going viral.

Born in 1957 in a mountain village of Kirman province in southeast Iran, he worked in construction for a while and then joined the Revolutionary Guard. His official education is limited to elementary school.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: An analysis on Iran's top general (Gen. Qasem Soleimani), and Turkey's top general Lt. Gen. Zekai Aksakalli.

5 comments:

James said...

Considering Mr. Gurcan's bio, this article becomes a message from Turkey to the political establishment in Tehran and to Soleimani himself. Is it a warning or an offer of mutual operations or both?

James said...

WNU,
As an interesting aside, as you see pictures of Qassem please note what rings he is or is not wearing on his hands.

War News Updates Editor said...

You know how to spark my curiosity James. That is the first time that I see him wearing it.

James said...

WNU,
In this photo he's wearing two large ones. One on each hand. Prior photos show him sometimes with, sometimes without one or the other. Considering the vagaries of life (religious considerations, etc) the absence or not, can have a prosaic explanation, but there are times when it seems there isn't. I would suggest watching future photos of the Gen to see what he's wearing and in what situational context.

War News Updates Editor said...

Definitely.