Tehran, IRNA – An assistant to Iran’s foreign minister has highlighted the humanitarian efforts of Martyr Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani in defending Iraq’s minorities against Daesh (ISIS), describing him as a champion of minority rights in West Asia.

Speaking at the third quarterly meeting on Martyr Soleimani’s role in combating Daesh in the region, Esmaeil Baghaei Hamaneh emphasized the special position of minorities in human rights during all armed conflicts, noting that minorities are more vulnerable in these situations, making their protection crucial.

Hamaneh pointed out Martyr Soleimani’s significant role in fighting Daesh and defending minorities such as Yazidis, Murshidis, and Kurds in Syria and Iraq and stressed that General Soleimani’s efforts were aimed at protecting minorities from a humanitarian perspective, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or religion.

General Soleimani, the commander of the Qods Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the former commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), were assassinated by US terrorists. They were targeted outside Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020, under direct orders from then-US President Donald Trump.

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