Spokesman for al-Nujaba in an Interview with al-Vefagh Newspaper:
Martyr Soleimani Stood behind All Defeats of the US in the Region/ Avenging the Blood of the Commanders of the Islamic Resistance on the Shoulders of the Iraqi Fighters
Story Code : 971848
According to the website of the representative office of al-Nujaba in Iran, Nasr al-Shammari, the official spokesman of Iraq’s al-Nujaba Islamic Resistance Movement, stated in an exclusive interview with Bahrain’s al-Vefagh newspaper on the occasion of the anniversary of the martyrdom of the commanders of the Islamic Resistance Front, “If it were not for Haj Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the Islamic Resistance movement against terrorism and occupation would not have been formed from the beginning and not a single bullet would have been fired at them.”
al-Shammari noted that the commanders of the Islamic Resistance were behind all of the defeats imposed on the United States in the region, “The Americans finally came to the conclusion that the harm of the martyrs Soleimani and al-Muhandis is greater than the consequences of their assassination.”
He stressed that due to the martyrdom of General Soleimani on Iraqi soil, the great responsibility of avenging their pure blood has fallen on the Iraqi fighters and the battle of revenge will be achieved with the complete departure of the “Great Satan” [the United States] and its mercenaries from the region.
The full text of this interview is as follows:
What is your view on the martyrs, Haj Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis?
There is no better description for these two great martyrs than the statement of the marja’iyyah [religious authority – Ayatollah al-Sistani], who called them the “commanders of freedom and victory,” and in describing Martyr Soleimani, he called him “the great commander of Islam.”
In fact, we consider them as an extension of the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad and Imam Ali, because despite the dangers that surrounded them, they did not show fear and their position did not waver, and despite all their busyness, they were present on the battlefields among the fighters as if they were one of them and drank and ate the same water and food of the warriors, sat on the ground next to the warriors and treated everyone with paternalism. Before strengthening the militant aspect of the warriors, they strengthened their ideology, and their presence had a tremendous effect on the realization of great victories against Daesh and, before that, against the United States.
We believe that these two great personalities had a close relationship with Imam al-Mahdi and his deputy, and that is why the mahdawi spirit flowed in their lives and martyrdom. Everyone close to them felt these blessings, the peace and certainty that flowed in the blessed life of these two martyrs reached his heart.
What was the role of the late commander of the Quds Force (Martyr Soleimani), Martyr Abu Mahdi and the commanders of the Islamic Resistance in the fight against terrorism and occupation in the region?
It is really strange to ask about the role of the martyred commanders in the fight against terrorism and occupation.
If it were not for Martyr Haj Qasem, his allies and the commanders of the Islamic Resistance, this confrontation would not have taken shape from the beginning, and perhaps without them not a single gun would have been fired, or a bullet would not have been fired at the terrorists. At that time, terrorism and before that the occupiers dominated all countries, and perhaps Daesh occupied not only Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, but even the [Persian] Gulf states – the main sponsors of terrorism – and American bases and forces operated freely throughout the region under the pretext of countering terrorism – which they had created themselves.
I emphasize here that the martyrs Soleimani and al-Muhandis and the other commanders of the Islamic Resistance did not only take the lead in the fight against terrorism and occupation but rather they were the owners of the whole movement. Even the Iraqi and Syrian security forces were able to fight with the intervention and material and spiritual support of the Islamic Resistance after witnessing great collapses.
Given that Martyr Soleimani had travelled to Baghdad to reduce tensions in the region, how do you assess the objective of the assassination of the commanders of the Islamic Resistance?
Perhaps the most obvious reason for their targeting of General Haj Qasem Soleimani and his companion Haj Abu Mahdi is the feeling of defeat among the enemies in all battles because his unique spiritual leadership defeated the American and Zionist projects in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Behind the scenes of all of the defeats of the United States was a man named Qasem Soleimani.
Although the United States expected heavy reactions to the assassination from the Islamic Republic and the entire Islamic Resistance Axis, it believed that all of these reactions were less effective than Haj Qasem’s presence on the ground and inflicting further defeats and losses on the United States and its interests and ambitions.
Another issue is that tensions in the region in general and in Iraq, in particular, were created by the United States and its mercenaries in order to thwart the Iraqi government’s efforts to end the American domination of the country. That is why the United States was working hard to counter any attempt to relieve the crisis. This was another reason to target Martyr Soleimani and his companions, especially Haj Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who managed the Popular Mobilization Forces in such a way as not to be drawn into such clashes.
How do the people of the region describe Shahid Soleimani and Shahid al-Muhandis?
If you want to know the position of these two martyrs in the hearts of the people of the region, it is enough to take a walk in Najaf on every religious occasion to see how the pilgrims go from the Shrine of Imam Ali to the burial place of Martyr al-Muhandis. You will see women, old men, educated people, ordinary people, students of the religious sciences, officers and military commanders who all gather with grief at the tomb of this great martyr and demand revenge. You should hear the cries of women from the countryside and villages and their mourning at his grave as if they had lost a dear member of their family.
Now, these two great martyrs have become the religious symbols of the people of the region, and their holy shrines have become the refuge of the warriors from far and near, who vow to continue their jihadi path until the imminent victory of God.
Iran promised severe revenge on the United States for its crime, which began with the bombing of the Ayn al-Asad Airbase as the first slap in the face. What do you think is the appropriate response to the crime of assassinating the commanders of the Islamic Resistance?
Avenging the assassination of these two great martyrs will not be taken by an attack or a position because they are great people whose revenge continues from Baghdad to al-Aqsa Mosque. The cost of this crime will not be less than what I said and will continue until the last American is expelled from the entire region.
All the painful blows suffered by the occupying forces in Iraq are just steps towards a great conflict against absolute evil, the United States.
Martyr Soleimani has many admirers and followers in the region. What do you think is the reason for this?
According to some narrations, when God loves a servant, he spreads his love among his servants, and that servant becomes beloved on earth, as he is loved in heaven. Perhaps this is the greatest secret of the love of the people of the region and the high position of Martyr Soleimani among them.
He was a man who was honest with God, so God fulfilled His promise to him. He had a “bright hand” throughout the region when the whole world abandoned it. If you saw how everyone abandoned the Palestinian cause and accepted to end it, if it were not for the efforts of Martyr Soleimani, no trace of it would remain.
You should have seen how they left Syria and Iraq alone in the face of terrorism to the point that the Iraqi army did not have a single tank gun to fire in some operational areas, and the United States refused to hand over weapons that Iraq had bought with its own money and even prevented our air force from flying their fighter aircraft.
The Americans told the Iraqi government that they had to wait six years for the delivery of weapons, ammunition and equipment! On the same night [of an attack by Daesh], Martyr Haj Qasem Soleimani arrived less than six hours with all that Iraq needed in Relation to weapons and equipment and went to the front line alone to lift the siege of Samarra, Amirli and other besieged cities.
His support for the Lebanese Islamic Resistance, his presence on the battlefield in the ۳۳-Day War, and his support of the people of Yemen and Syria were also part of his activities.
This loyalty, honesty, honourable attitude and admirable courage placed the Martyr in the hearts of the people of the region.
What was the role of Martyr Soleimani in tightening the ranks of the Islamic Resistance against the occupiers and the Zionists?
As I said before, if it were not for the support of the Islamic Republic and the efforts of Martyr Soleimani, the Palestinian cause would have ended completely after the accelerated attempts by several regional governments to compromise with the Zionist regime and submit to the command of the United States.
With these efforts, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance, which called its uprisings the “Stone Intifada” and stood against the Zionist enemy tanks with stones and empty hands, today responds to any Zionist attack with thousands of advanced missiles that reach all points of the occupied territories.
This great martyr also contributed to rekindling the flame of the Palestinian cause in the hearts of the fighters of the Islamic Resistance everywhere in the countries which are part of the Islamic Resistance Axis. Thus, today Palestine and the ideal of the holy city of al-Quds are heard from the language of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and everywhere in the Islamic world that has raised the flag of the Islamic Resistance. Today, everyone believes that the main confrontation will be the battle for the liberation of Palestine and the holy city of al-Quds.
If it were not for the efforts of Martyr Soleimani and his comrades, what would have happened to the region?
Undoubtedly, it ended in darkness and direct occupation, and Iraq and Syria were divided between terrorist groups and American occupation bases under the pretext of counterterrorism, and this darkness covered all the countries in the region, especially the Persian Gulf countries – which are the main sponsors of terrorism materially and spiritually.
Were it not for the martyrs and their great role, perhaps the map of the region would have changed forever.
How do you evaluate the conduct of the lives of the commanders of the Islamic Resistance and their contemporaries?
This approach will remain and will never stop. The flag raised by the martyred commanders will not fall until it is handed over to its original owner, Imam al-Mahdi. This is not a propaganda slogan, but rather a belief, approach and characteristic and today, we are all determined to continue this path until victory or martyrdom. It is enough to know that most warriors today take a ghusl (greater ablution) of martyrdom before going on any mission.
The approach of the two martyrs, Soleimani and al-Muhandis, will remain as long as there is a voice against the United States and Zionism, and as long as a fighter has a gun. Their conduct is an integral part of the revolution of Imam al-Husayn and this conduct will remain with every chant of the slogan of “hayhat mina al-dhillah!” [woe unto the wretched!].
How do you evaluate the role of Martyr Soleimani in strengthening the Iraqi Islamic Resistance against Takfiri-Zionist-American terrorism?
Perhaps Martyr Soleimani was associated with all of the Islamic Resistance groups because he was in charge of organizing, training, financing and equipping them with weapons and whatever was needed. He was the one who raised the Iraqi Islamic Resistance to a level of power to fight the occupiers, and conveyed to them the experience of direct conflict and special operations, to the point that it exhausted the occupiers and led them to flee Iraq with defeat.
After everyone left Iraq alone and the United States turned its back, Martyr Soleimani took the lead in inviting and supporting Islamic Resistance groups with experience, weapons, equipment, and a presence on the fronts in the fight against Daesh terrorism.
In summary, the war against Daesh would have been unimaginable had it not been for the fatwa of the marja’iyyah, the efforts of Martyr Soleimani, and the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In conclusion, if you find it appropriate to mention a point, state it...
During the period of confrontation with Daesh, many warriors cited a hadith from the Messenger of God [Muhammad] about Salman al-Farsi, “Salman is one of the members of the Ahl al-Bayt” and chanted the slogan, “Soleimani is one of the people of Iraq.”
He and Martyr al-Muhandis were like a tent for all warriors, they were all full of sincere and beloved fatherly spirit. Their martyrdom took place in Iraq and the great responsibility of avenging their pure blood fell on the Iraqi fighters and the battle of revenge will be realized with the complete departure of the Great Satan and its mercenaries from the region.
