"Hundreds joined an event in Baghdad on Friday to mark the sixth anniversary of a US airstrike near Baghdad International Airport which resulted in the deaths of Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis, former commander of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF). Footage shows participants gathering around statues of slain leaders, while lighting up candles and posing near their photos. "These leaders had sacrificed their lives and blood while fighting ISIS and expelled them from Iraq, neighbouring countries and from the whole world," explained PMF Public Affairs officer Sheikh Khaled Al Aibadi. "We are here to mark the sixth anniversary of the martyrdom of the victorious leaders, reminding the world every day that resistance is a concept. Even if one or two of our leaders are martyred, resistance pursues as it is a concept; we provide martyrs to carry on this path and defend sanctities, territory, and honour," added participant Zainab Al Moussawi. “We do not need the US presence in Iraq given that the US hegemony and interference are evident in Iraq, not only in the political and economic fields but also by controlling the top officials, lawmakers and others,” noted another participant. Soleimani & Iraq's PMU Deputy Mohammed Ali Ibrahim - known as Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis - were killed in a US air raid near Baghdad International airport on Jan 3, 2020. Afterwards, the Pentagon confirmed that the US had carried out an air raid under the direction of President Donald Trump, labelling the move as a defensive move to protect 'service members in Iraq and throughout the region.'"