Thousands of people thronged the streets of Baghdad on Saturday to be part of a funeral procession for Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian military commander killed in an American airstrike.
Soleimani was killed on Thursday as he left Baghdad Airport in a convoy. According to media reports, the procession started at the Shia shrine of Kadhimiyya where prayers were held.
Mourners put on black dresses and held flags of the local militia group Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation Forces or PMF).
"We are here to mourn the death of these brave fighters, Soleimani and Muhandis," 34-year-old Amjad Hamoud, who described himself as a member of the PMF, said as quoted by Al Jazeera. "Both of them sacrificed their lives for the sake of the Shia world and for the sake of Iraq," he added.
The funeral procession kicked off the mourning period for the commander described as the architect of the Iranian military strategy in the Middle East, the Guardian newspaper reported.
His body is expected to be flown to the Islamic Republic of Iran where Qasem Soleimani will be laid to rest.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that "Death to America" chants could be heard during the procession.
Iran has declared three days of national mourning and said that it will respond appropriately to the killing of its commander.
The crowd also mourned Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an Iraqi who commanded the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah group, who was also killed in the airstrike that took out Qasem.