Cape Town – The African National Congress (ANC) on Saturday, condemned a series of airstrikes, reportedly by the United States, that killed the Commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, General Qassem Soleimani.
Soleimani — a top general and one of the most powerful men in Iran — was killed in a drone strike at Baghdad airport on Friday. One of his adviser’s, top Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was also killed in the attack.
“We view this latest in-humane episode as an attack on the sovereignty and self-determination of the people of Iran. The ANC rejects this raw aggression against the people and government of Iran, which has the potential to plunge the Middle East and the World into a full-scale war. History has shown that the majority of the victims of this kind of international terrorism are the elderly, women and children. Young people also suffer serious displacement with the prospect of a bleak future,” ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule said in a statement.
“The ANC and all progressive formations of the world cannot afford to remain silent while the actions of the U.S appear to be undermining peace and security with impunity – a clear and deliberate erosion of Iran’s national stability. We urge the nations of the world, through the United Nations, to act firmly and expeditiously against this act of international terrorism. We urge all parties to this conflict to give peace a chance. We appeal for maximum restraint.”
Thousands of people took to the streets in Iraq and Iran on Saturday to mourn Soleimani at services before his burial on Tuesday in his hometown Kerman.
