Soleimani, al-Muhandis coffins reach Karbala

Karbala (AP) – Thousands of mourners took part in a funeral procession in Karbala on Saturday for Iran's top general and Iraqi militant leaders who were killed in a US airstrike a day earlier.

Footage showed the arrival of draped coffins holding the bodies of the victims, including Iranian General Qassam Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces.

Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds force and mastermind of its regional security strategy, was the main target of the attack, carried out near Baghdad's international airport.

US President Donald Trump said Friday he ordered the killing of Soleimani to stop a war, claiming that the general posed a threat to the American people.

The attack has caused regional tensions to soar.