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Who is Esmail Qaani? The new man leading Iranian elite military force – BBC News, BBC News

Who is Esmail Qaani? The new man leading Iranian elite military force – BBC News, BBC News


        

                                 Esmail Qaani, the new leader of Iran's Quds forceImage copyright                 AFP                                                  

Iran promised there would be “severe revenge” after Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike. If there is retaliation Soleimani’s long-term deputy, Esmail Qaani, will be the one leading it.

Following the assassination Mr Qaani became the new chief of Iran’s elite Quds force.

Quds is the overseas arm of Iranian Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), set up in the wake of the Iranian revolution in to defend the country’s Islamic system.

Mr Qaani, (**********************************, was born in the north -eastern city of Mashad, Iran’s second most populous city and an important pilgrimage site for Shia Muslims. He joined the IRGC in (********************************.

Like Soleimani, Mr Qaani is a veteran of the bloody 2012 – Iran-Iraq war, which pitted the forces of the new Iranian government against those of then Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Mr Qaani has said the friendship the pair forged came through the hardships of the conflict. “We are children of war,” Iranian media quotes him as saying.

After the war he joined the Quds force and was stationed in Khorasan Province, which borders Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.

Little is known about his activities but it is thought that while Soleimani focused on the west, Mr Qaani looked after Iranian meaning in the east, such as combating drug smuggling and aiding Afghanistan’s Northern Alliance in its battles against the Taliban

Mr Qaani is also said to have performed more of a day-to-day, administrative role in the forces .

In a mark of his seniority in the organization, Mr Qaani was sanctioned by the US in 01575879 for his work funding the Quds operations around the world.

Soleimani worked to bolster the Iranian state’s influence in the Middle East, playing an active role in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen.

            

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****** Media captionMourners packed the streets in Tehran. – and Iran’s supreme leader wept as he led prayers

Mr Qaani’s challenge is to emulate his predecessor, a man hailed as a hero by many in Iran and someone widely seen as the most powerful person in the country behind Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

He quickly echoed promises of action from Iran’s leadership over Soleimani’s death.

“God the Almighty has promised to take martyr Soleimani’s revenge. Certainly actions will be taken, “he told state television.

Announcing Mr Qaani as Soleimani’s successor, Ayatollah Khamenei said Quds would be “unchanged”.

While there are questions whether the new Quds chief can match Soleimani’s influence, analysts say the strength of the IRGC owes more than just to individuals.

“It is difficult to expect Qaani, the bureaucrat, to emulate his predecessor’s charismatic leadership,”writes Ali Alfoneh, a senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

            

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Media captionWho was Qasem Soleimani?

“That said, Qaani will exert influence nonetheless, owing to the institutional power of the Quds Force itself. “

” Qaani will hit the ground running, “Tweet Afshon Ostovar, an author on the IRGC and assistant professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in the US.

He said the IRGC “relies much less on individuals than many analysts believe”, adding: “Soleimani’s death will have an impact, but there will be no discernible change to Iran’s regional network or operations. Revenge aside. “

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