Qasem Soleimani: ISIS is Approaching the End of Its Life

Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in one of his rare public statements, said that ISIS and other groups he referred to as 'terrorist' in Iraq and Syria are approaching the end of their existence. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, IRNA, Mr. Soleimani stated on Thursday, February 11, 'Given the heavy defeats that ISIS and other terrorist groups have suffered in Iraq and Syria, we are confident that these groups are nearing the end of their existence.' The 'Islamic State' or ISIS has recently lost the battle for the border city of Kobani and its surrounding villages in Syria to the defenders of this Kurdish city and has retreated from it, a battle that lasted at least four months. Meanwhile, Qasem Soleimani stated that the existence of 'takfiri' groups like ISIS is 'the last weapon of imperialism' created with the 'aim of tarnishing the image of Islam and igniting the fire of discord and civil war among Muslims.' Officials of the Islamic Republic have repeatedly described the 'Islamic State' as a creation of the United States and Western countries, with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stating that the British government created 'ISIS' and Al-Qaeda 'to confront the Islamic Republic and Islamic awakening.' On the other hand, the international coalition against ISIS led by the United States has recently conducted extensive airstrikes against ISIS positions in Syria and Iraq, which have weakened their positions, to the extent that Barack Obama, the President of the United States, also emphasized on Wednesday that the Islamic State group will be defeated. The IRNA report states that the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps further asserted in his remarks on Thursday that 'today we see signs of the export of the revolution throughout the region from Bahrain and Iraq to Syria, Yemen, and North Africa.' Iran has sided with the government of Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war and is also active against ISIS in Iraq. Meanwhile, officials from some Arab countries accuse Iran of interfering in the internal affairs of Yemen and Bahrain, accusations that Iran has denied. Nevertheless, Ali Saidi, the representative of the leader in the Revolutionary Guard, referred to Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, and Latin America as the 'strategic depth' of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Thursday, October 16. According to this report, the commander of the Quds Force emphasized that 'imperialism and global Zionism have increasingly acknowledged their impotence in the face of the resistance front due to their successive defeats against it and the power of the Islamic Republic.' Mr. Soleimani considered Hezbollah's operations against Israel as a prominent example of what he called 'symbols of resistance.' After the killing of Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, a brigadier general of the Revolutionary Guard, and several members of Hezbollah Lebanon, as well as Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of Imad Mughniyeh, a former commander of Hezbollah, due to Israeli helicopter attacks at the end of January, on February 27, an Israeli military vehicle was targeted by an anti-tank missile at the border of this country with Lebanon. Hezbollah Lebanon claimed responsibility for this attack in a statement. Previously, Al-Mayadeen television in Lebanon reported on Qasem Soleimani's meeting with Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah Lebanon, 48 hours after the Israeli attack. Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also emphasized on Friday, February 29, that the response of the Islamic Republic and Hezbollah Lebanon to Israel is 'one.' In this context, Qasem Soleimani appeared on the cover of the American magazine 'Newsweek.' One of the senior commanders of the IRGC was killed in Iraq. Associated Press: In the fight against ISIS, Iran has become more important for Iraq than the United States. A senior Iranian army commander stated: 'A depth of 40 kilometers into Iraqi territory is our red line.' The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated: 'The injury of Qasem Soleimani is not true.' The Prime Minister of Iraq: Both the West and Iran are helping against ISIS. Washington Post: Imad Mughniyeh was killed by a plan of Mossad and the CIA.