₦airaland Forum

At least 95 people have been killed by two bomb explosions near the tomb of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on the fourth anniversary of his assassination by the US, Iran's state media report.

Scores of others were wounded when the blasts hit a procession near the Saheb al-Zaman mosque in the city of Kerman.

Videos showed bodies on a road and ambulances rushing to the scene.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed the "terrorist attack" would be met with a "harsh response".

There were no immediate claims from any groups for what is believed to have been the deadliest such attack in Iran in 42 years.

The number of dead had initially been reported as 103, but Iran's health minister said some names were accidentally registered twice.

Suspicion may fall on Arab separatists and Sunni jihadist groups like Islamic State (IS), who have carried out attacks on civilians and security forces in the country in recent years.

Soleimani was seen as the most powerful figure in Iran after the supreme leader before he was killed in a US drone strike in neighbouring Iraq in 2020.

Wednesday's attack comes amid heightened tensions in the region after the deputy leader of the Iran-backed Palestinian group, Hamas, was killed in an apparent Israeli drone strike in Lebanon.
Footage broadcast by Iranian state TV showed large crowds were taking part in a procession along a road lined with banners featuring Qasem Soleimani when the explosions happened.

People could be heard screaming and then seen running away in panic after one of the blasts.

Iranian media reported the first bomb was detonated around 15:00 local time (11:30 GMT), about 700m (2,300ft) from the Garden of Martyrs cemetery around the Saheb al-Zaman mosque, in the eastern outskirts of Kerman.

The second bombing took place about 15 minutes later, around 1km away from the cemetery, targeting people who had fled the first, they said.

Kerman province's governor told state news agency Irna that both blasts happened outside security checkpoints and that authorities were sure they were caused by bombs. But he said it was not yet clear whether they were detonated remotely or by suicide attackers.

The hard-line Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards, earlier cited sources as saying that "two bags carrying bomb" were apparently detonated "by remote control".

"We were walking towards the cemetery when a car suddenly stopped behind us and a waste bin containing a bomb exploded," a witness was quoted by Isna news agency as saying.

"We only heard the sound of the explosion and saw people falling."

Iran's health minister, Bahram Eynollahi, said as well as the 95 killed, 211 people were wounded by the blasts, with 27 in a critical condition.

The Iranian Red Crescent said the dead included at least one paramedic who was sent to the scene of the first explosion and was hit by the second.

Interior Minister Ahmad Vahid said the second blast killed and wounded the most people, and that an investigation had been launched to determine who was behind the attack.
On Wednesday evening, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a statement expressing his condolences to the families of those killed.

"The evil and criminal enemies of the Iranian nation once again created a disaster and martyred a large number of dear people in Kerman," he said.

"Be it those with innocents' blood on their hands or those corrupt minds that led to this atrocity, they will be met with firm crackdown and fair punishment, commencing immediately," he added. "They should know that this disaster will have a harsh response, God willing."

President Ebrahim Raisi called the bombings a "cowardly act" carried out by "Iran-hating criminals and the henchmen of terror and darkness".

The former British ambassador to Iran, Rob Macaire, told the BBC that it was not clear who was behind the bombings.

"There are clearly opposition groups who have the ability, albeit quite constrained, to carry out violent attacks," he said. "I don't think they are regime-threatening attacks, but it will certainly raise the temperature."

UN Secretary General António Guterres strongly condemned the attack and expressed his "deep condolences to the bereaved families and the people and the government" of Iran, his spokesman said.

The EU said it condemned the bombing "in the strongest terms" and expressed its "solidarity with the Iranian people", while Russian President Vladimir Putin called the attack "shocking in its cruelty and cynicism".

The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement - a powerful armed group that like Hamas is backed by Iran - said the victims were "martyrs who died on the same road, cause and battle that was led by" Soleimani.

As commander of the Revolutionary Guards' overseas operations arm, the Quds Force, Soleimani was an architect of Iranian policy across the region.

He was in charge of the Quds Force's clandestine missions and its provision of guidance, funding, weapons, intelligence, and logistical support to allied governments and armed groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas.

Then-US President Donald Trump, who ordered the 2020 drone strike, described Soleimani as "the number-one terrorist anywhere in the world" and alleged that troops under his command had murdered hundreds of American civilians and servicemen over the previous two decades.

Iran's government accused the US of an act of international terrorism and issued arrest warrants for Mr Trump and other officials.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67872281

He passed away alongside some Hamas fighters in Beirut. IDF as usual have refused to comment

Israel has insisted the assassination of a Hamas leader in Beirut was not an attack on Lebanon, as its enemies warned of "punishment" for his death.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied that it killed Saleh al-Arouri, but a spokesman called it a "surgical strike against the Hamas leadership".

Hamas denounced it as a "terrorist act", while its ally Hezbollah said it was an assault on Lebanese sovereignty.

Lebanon's PM accused Israel of trying to "drag" it into a regional war.

Lebanese media report that Arouri, a deputy political leader of Hamas, was killed in a drone strike in southern Beirut on Tuesday along with six others - two Hamas military commanders and four other members.

He was a key figure in the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, and a close ally of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader. He had been in Lebanon acting as a connection between his group and Hezbollah.

There have been near daily exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israeli forces since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but so far the violence has been limited to the area along the Israel-Lebanon border.

Hezbollah - which, like Hamas, is considered a terrorist organisation by Israel, the UK and others - is the largest political and military force in Lebanon and has ministers in the country's government.


The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) refused to comment on the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, but said its troops were "highly prepared for any scenario".

"The IDF is in a very high state of readiness in all arenas, in defence and offence," spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Hagari told a briefing.

"The most important thing to say tonight is that we are focused and remain focused on fighting Hamas," he added.

Israeli government adviser Mark Regev also stopped short of confirming Israel had carried out the attack, but he told MSNBC: "Whoever did it, it must be clear that this was not an attack on the Lebanese state.

"It was not an attack even on Hezbollah, the terrorist organisation.

"Whoever did this did a surgical strike against the Hamas leadership. Whoever did this has a gripe with Hamas. That is very clear."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67866346.amp

I had issues with their billpoint app some months ago and Very dark man spoke about this. Sorry for your ordeal bro. Seems the app is still in development stages

TemplarLandry:
Proudly brought to us by FufuBoyz AKA @FactBoyz. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

🤣🤣🤣Nice one Agbado TownCrier

A townhall..............

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s main opposition said Thursday it will present new evidence to support its court challenge seeking to overturn this year’s presidential election, saying it can show the declared winner provided faked academic credentials to authorities.

President Bola Tinubu forged a diploma from an American university that he presented to Nigeria’s election commission before the February vote and should be removed from office, first runner-up Atiku Abubakar and his lawyer alleged in a briefing with reporters. They cited records obtained from the university in a U.S. court hearing and shared with The Associated Press.

Abubakar previously has argued Tinubu should not be president because the election commission did not follow due process in announcing the winner and Tinubu was not qualified to run, citing allegations of dual citizenship and of a criminal indictment in the United States.

Tinubu has denied those claims. He did not comment on the new allegation, but his spokesman denied it. “A man cannot forge the academic records he possesses,” Temitope Ajayi, Tinubu’s media aide, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The challenge is being closely watched by many Nigerians following a divisive election that saw Tinubu win with less than 50% of the votes, a first in Nigeria’s history.

Abubakar is one of three candidates who are in court seeking to void Tinubu’s election victory.

Kalu Kalu, Abubakar’s lawyer, said they are set to present “fresh evidence” in the case pending before Nigeria’s Supreme Court.

“A party at fault cannot be allowed to enjoy the fruit of his illegality,” Kalu said.

No presidential election in Nigeria has ever been voided.

In advancing his court challenge, Abubakar secured an order from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois directing Chicago State University, which Tinubu attended, to release his academic records.

In a transcript of a deposition this week given to AP by Abubakar’s lawyers, and which has not been made available by the court, Caleb Westberg, registrar of the university, confirmed the school “has the original record of Bola Tinubu.” But he said he could not confirm the authenticity of the diploma that the Nigerian leader presented to the election commission indicating he graduated in 1979.

“We’re not qualified to verify whether this document (the diploma) is authentic, given that it is not in our possession,” Westberg said.

Asked to confirm that the school “has no record of issuing” the diploma in question, Westberg responded, “Correct.”

Alexandre de Gramont, who represented Abubakar in U.S. court, said in a statement that the team got “virtually everything we sought” after a “hard-fought battle to obtain the educational records … which Mr. Tinubu’s lawyers vigorously opposed at every step.”

https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-tinubu-abubakar-election-challenge-ba0fd3483678b84747bd38aba53d5bf9

Christistruth00:
Fake News

May Christ deal with you for lying

TemplarLandry:

Zombie

TemplarLandry:

Zombie

TemplarLandry:
So what?

These ignoramuses keep disgracing themselves.

Propaganda won't save your paymaster. FBI Files is still warming up

We Tinubu supporters are a shame to the nation

yarimo:
How far when will ECOWAS invade Niger republic na? Just asking for a neighbor

HEHE to you Yarimo. Agbado sniffing APC cornfused man

Things are not looking good for Mr President

Below is the certified copy

https://www.scribd.com/document/675598283/Certified-Deposition-Transcript

Forgery is a CRIME

Craddock:
Mynd44, A.k.a Sowumi, you are just a useless fool fighting an imaginary fight with me 😂😂😂


You ban me for saying the truth.

Cc; factboyz Lizzysamuel can you see how biased and useless Mynd44 is?

Sowumi is useless I swear

This is crazy bro. We've been in NL since 2016, I remember your comments those times

Deposition gotten

Tinubu will go down. Keep saying Ipob while your country is disgraced internationally. What a shame

Others

More...

TRANSCRIPT: CHICAGO STATE UNIVERSITY DENY ISSUING CERTIFICATE TINUBU PRESENTED TO INEC.

CSU Official confirms under oath that the certificate submitted to INEC is a forgery.

In the deposition, the CSU Registrar attested to the discrepancies in the certificate, and categorically stated that CSU did not issue the certificate to Tinubu.

RIP Mohbad. But can someone explain to me why people protest a celebrity's death but cannot do same for bad governance. No be JUJU be dat?

Fuel went from N195 to N617. No one came out. The elections were rigged and made every single one of us look like fools. Nobody came out still.