00:00The most extraordinary thing about Shaheed Qasim Soleimani is how truly ordinary he was.
00:12He was born on March 11, 1957, in the Kerman province of Iran, in the unexceptional village of Qanaat-e-Malik.
00:21Like others, he went to school, had a regular upbringing, and later found work in construction
00:27to help repay the agricultural debts accumulated by his father.
00:32At the age of 18, he began working for the Kerman Water Organization.
00:38This youth, just like many others, would visit family and friends, had a healthy social life, and would go to the gym to work out.
00:46It was at this ripe age of his that he would give ear to the public sermons of a humble scholar,
00:53through whom Qasim Soleimani was inspired to take up revolutionary endeavours.
00:58In 1979, the Islamic Revolution took place.
01:03The Western-backed dictator, the Shah, fled.
01:06The Faqih, Islamic jurist, had been given control over the affairs of the state,
01:12and the nation rejoiced at its newfound liberation.
01:16This would herald a bright new era, paving the way for the return of Imam Mahdi,
01:23Ajjallallahu ta'ala, Faraj al-Sharif.
01:26While the nation celebrated, Qasim Soleimani knew that the toughest battles were yet to begin.
01:33America, the Soviet Union, and their cohorts throughout the world
01:37would not readily tolerate a free Islamic nation, whose leader was not under their control.
01:44They had already begun devising plans to quash the revolution.
01:49And so, he joined the Revolutionary Guard, the IRGC.
01:54With little training, he quickly advanced in his military proficiency,
01:59initially a mere guardsman stationed in northwestern Iran.
02:03The enemies were on the move.
02:05The Islamic Revolution would not be tolerated by the world powers.
02:09They needed an instrument of war to lay siege upon the newly formed Islamic Republic of Iran.
02:17Saddam Hussein, the tyrannical dictator, positioned in the neighboring country of Iraq,
02:22became the best candidate.
02:25Backed by America, the Soviet Union, Britain, France, and Germany, to name a few,
02:30Saddam Hussein became their fully-fledged agent of war.
02:35At this time, Iran had little hope.
02:39Years of oppression under the rule of the Shah had left the nation almost entirely dependent
02:44on the world powers.
02:46They could not even make their own barbed wire,
02:50let alone the kinds of ammunition, missiles, fighter jets, tanks,
02:55and other military equipment necessary to fight back against the world that now stood against it.
03:02On the 22nd of September, 1980, Saddam Hussein launched a full-scale invasion of Iran.
03:09Using Soviet MIG-23BNs, 222, and Su-20 fighter aircrafts,
03:16the Iraqi air force launched surprise air strikes on 10 Iranian airfields to obliterate the Iranian air force.
03:23The following day, Saddam launched a ground invasion in three simultaneous attacks,
03:30wanting to break the back of the Islamic revolution.
03:33Of the six divisions that invaded by ground,
03:36two crossed over the northern and central borders to attack the heart of Iran.
03:41The other four were sent to Khuzestan, in the south.
03:45The objective, control Abadan and Khuram Shah, two strategic port cities.
03:51Saddam had hoped that the ethnic Arabs of Khuzestan would abandon the Islamic revolution,
03:57but the people of the region remained loyal to Iran.
04:01And in fact, even the Iraqi troops themselves have been described as badly led and lacking in offensive spirit.
04:09Inside their hearts, Saddam's troops knew that the cause they were fighting for could not be justified.
04:18Still, they followed the orders of the tyrannical powers.
04:21In Khuram Shah, heavy losses left 7,000 dead on both sides.
04:26The city became known as the City of Blood.
04:29Ruthlessly, Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons supplied by the West to devastate the people of Iran.
04:36Saddam took control of Mehran.
04:38Furthermore, Saddam's forces advanced into the Zagros Mountains and took control of this strategic invasion point.
04:46But the leader and the people of Iran would not give up.
04:51With AH-1 Cobra helicopter gunships and F-4 Phantoms armed with Maverick missiles,
04:57they began fierce attacks on the advancing Iraqi divisions,
05:01destroyed their armoured vehicles and slowed Saddam's advance.
05:04Firing Phoenix missiles, they shot down dozens of Iraq's Soviet-built fighters.
05:10The newly formed revolutionary Iranian air force also retaliated with conviction and precision,
05:17with a large-scale attack against Iraqi airbases and infrastructure in Operation Command-99.
05:23Using the salvaged F-4 Phantom and F-5 Tiger fighter jets,
05:27they attacked oil facilities, petrochemical pumps, oil refineries and the Mosul airbase.
05:33Saddam was taken by surprise by this firm response and economic disruption was caused within Iraq.
05:40But Iranians were taking heavy losses and while Saddam's depleted forces were being buffed up by the world's superpowers,
05:48Iran had been put under sanctions and had only its faith in its own people and in Allah.
05:55In 1981, Imam Khamenei was elected President of Iran by a landslide vote of 97%.
06:03His sound resolve, knowledge, zeal and bravery would further strengthen the leadership.
06:08The Iranian military, police forces and the Revolutionary Guards all acted with the same goals in mind.
06:16Resist the tyranny of the invaders and defend the Islamic Revolution.
06:20But they were not alone. Many, many voluntary fighters from among the common people known as the Besiege,
06:27each entered the fray separately in a bid to protect their nation and the noble cause of the Islamic Revolution.
06:35Qasem Soleimani quickly excelled in ranks, mustering his experiences to become a leader.
06:41In Kirman, he assembled a host of valiant warriors whom he trained and, with the spirit of resistance and faith,
06:49fought back against the assailants.
06:52Showing absolute and unparalleled resolve, fortitude and faith,
06:57the people of Iran would fight in the deserts.
07:00They would fight in the marshes and the mountains.
07:03They would fight until their last breaths.
07:06The war would last eight long years and would go on to be known as the Sacred Defense.
07:13Asim Soleimani soon became renowned for his bravery, aptitude and strength for his key role in operations to reclaim the land Saddam Hussein had occupied.
07:24While still in his twenties, he became the commander of the 41st Darullah Division and was at the forefront of major operations in the south.
07:34Bustan had been taken by the enemy and an important supply route was under their control.
07:41Thus, on the 29th of November 1981, Operation Tariq al-Quds was launched.
07:48The Iranians would march at the enemy, wave after wave.
07:52They took serious losses.
07:546,000 Iranians were killed in the fighting and Qasem Soleimani was seriously injured.
08:00But through his leadership and the prowess of his comrades, Bustan was liberated and the key supply route for Saddam's forces eliminated.
08:11On the 22nd of March 1982, Lieutenant General Sayyad Shirazi would lead the operation Fath-ul-Rubin, the manifest victory.
08:22This would be a huge turning point in the war.
08:25So it is no wonder that Qasem Soleimani was present in this key battle for the liberation of Qoram Shah.
08:32With a constant push of faith and resilience, the Iranians hit the enemy's wave upon wave upon wave of fighters.
08:41They took many losses and gave many martyrs.
08:44Saddam's forces enjoyed the use of tanks, artillery and aerial support,
08:49while the past Iran and besieges of Iran were mostly fighting on foot.
08:54They saw their comrades falling.
08:57They saw the enemies having far more strength and witnessed the power of America and the Soviet Union's support.
09:04They were outmatched and the odds were stacked against them with no end in sight.
09:09Still, they kept on fighting.
09:12Asim Soleimani kept on fighting.
09:15On the 28th, the Iraqis had taken heavy losses.
09:19The Iranians showed no signs of backing down.
09:22So Saddam called for a retreat.
09:26Eventually, the revolutionaries were able to liberate Qoram Shah and push the Iraqi forces from southern Iran.
09:33From this moment onwards, Iran would no longer be on the defensive,
09:38but would bring the fight to Saddam's backyard.
09:42Despite being outnumbered, despite the world's superpowers standing against them,
09:48the Iranians overcame with pure patience and faith.
09:53The Holy Quran says,
09:54Those who were sure that they would meet their lord said,
09:59How often has a small party vanquished a numerous host by Allah's permission?
10:06And Allah is with the patient.
10:10The war ended on the 20th of August 1988.
10:13Iran liberated itself completely and proved that it was a force to be reckoned with.
10:19Due to how difficult this struggle had been and how rewarding the divine struggle was,
10:24Asim Soleimani referred to Operation Fathul Mubeen, the manifest victory, as the best
10:30and most memorable chapter of the sacred defense war.
10:34Asim Soleimani was only 31 years old,
10:38but he had already shown his quality, stature, courage and faith.
10:42He had not been slain like so many of his comrades.
10:47Allah was saving him for something more.
10:50The Holy Quran states,
10:52Where have you are?
11:09Terima kasih.
