Mourners in Iraq grieve for Soleimani, al-Muhandis

Thousands of mourners marched in a funeral procession Saturday through Baghd for Iran's top general and Iraqi militant leers, who were killed in a US airstrike.

General Qassem Soleimani, he of Iran's elite Quds force and mastermind of its regional security strategy, was killed in an airstrike early Friday near Iraqi capital's international airport. attack has caused regional tensions to soar.

mourners, mostly men in black military fatigues, carried Iraqi flags and flags of Iran-backed militias that are fiercely loyal to Soleimani. y were also mourning Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a senior Iraqi militia commander who was killed in same strike.

procession began at Imam Khim shrine in Baghd, one of most revered sites in Shiite Islam.

Mourners marched in streets alongside militia vehicles in a solemn procession.