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Events on Friday 3 January 2020 2
1957 – 2020Qassem Soleimani (1957-2020)Died 3 January 2020, aged 62Qassem Soleimani commanded Iran's elite Quds Force and was widely seen as the architect of Iran's regional military strategy across Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. He was killed by a US drone strike near Baghdad airport on 3 January 2020.
2020Assassination of Qassem SoleimaniUS drone strike kills Iranian general near BaghdadA US MQ-9 Reaper drone strike ordered by President Trump killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad International Airport on 3 January 2020. The killing sharply escalated tensions between the United States and Iran, prompting Iranian missile strikes on US bases in Iraq days later.