Commander of the Quds Force: We Will Celebrate the Destruction of ISIS in Two Months

On Thursday, September 30, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) promised in a speech that Iran would celebrate the destruction of the Islamic State group, ISIS, 'within two months.' According to Tasnim News Agency, Qassem Soleimani stated, 'When martyr Hajji was killed, I issued a message that we would dry up the roots of ISIS within three months; now I say the destruction of ISIS is near.' He added, 'We will celebrate the destruction of this evil tree in two months, and Iran, Russia, Syria, and Iraq should hold this celebration.' Mohsen Hajji was a member of the 8th Najaf Ashraf Division of the IRGC and resided in Najafabad, Isfahan Province. He was captured on August 7 during a conflict in the Tanf area, which borders Syria, Iraq, and Jordan. Two days later, ISIS released an image of his execution. In response to this event, Qassem Soleimani wrote on August 19 that the IRGC would take 'decisive revenge' for the killing of Mohsen Hajji by eradicating the evil tree of Wahhabism and terrorism from the Islamic world. Now, the commander of the Quds Force has promised that ISIS will be destroyed within two months. This promise seems to be based on the recent victories of Bashar al-Assad's government and its allies, particularly Iran, against ISIS in Syria. These victories and the increasing retreat of ISIS have even led Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, to describe himself as victorious. Assad has become so confident in his victory that he congratulated Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, in a letter. According to this letter, which was published in Iranian media on September 24, Bashar al-Assad referred to Iran's role in breaking the siege of Deir ez-Zor and described the Iranian people as 'partners in victory.' Throughout the six and a half years of the civil war in Syria, the Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently defended Bashar al-Assad's government by providing funding and sending forces, with over a thousand Iranian military personnel killed in the country. On Thursday, Qassem Soleimani also defended the deployment of Iranian forces to Syria to fight ISIS, claiming that all these forces go to Syria 'voluntarily' and that 'diplomacy' does not work in Syria and Iraq. He questioned, 'Why did we decide to intervene in Syria and Iraq at the governmental level?' stating that 'these issues cannot be resolved through diplomacy.' Soleimani remarked, 'Some are unknowingly spreading rumors... there is no way to confront the terrorists in the region other than resistance.' In addition to Syria, the Islamic Republic of Iran has a significant presence in Iraq, and during the liberation of Mosul from ISIS, which occurred in July, the Iraqi army benefited greatly from Iranian military assistance. Senior Iranian military commanders have repeatedly compared the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) with the Basij forces affiliated with the IRGC and have taken pride in the influence of these forces from Iran. The leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the commander of the Quds Force have supported the PMF, and Qassem Soleimani stated in July after the liberation of Mosul, 'The key to the Iranian arms depots was in the hands of the PMF commander.'