Massive crowds bid farewell to hero general in hometown funeral

Millions of mourners have thronged the streets in Iran’s southeastern city of Kerman, the hometown of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, to attend a final funeral for the top defense strategist, who was assassinated by the US military during a visit to neighboring Iraq.

The procession was initially scheduled to culminate in the burial service for the general and one of his comrades, but officials announced that the rituals were postponed due to the overcrowding at the site which made it impossible to carry their remains to the cemetery where they would be laid to rest. 

The burial ceremony has been canceled and is to be rescheduled at another date, which will be announced.

The remains of General Soleimani and Major General Hossein Pourjafari arrived at the Kerman airport early Tuesday, following massive funeral processions in the cities of Ahvaz, Mashhad, Tehran and Qom, as well as the Iraqi cities of Baghdad, Karbala and Najaf.