In the summer of 2014, ISIS took control of Mosul, Iraq’s second most populous city. The city’s strategic location prompted Arab rulers to give the green light to Salafist-Wahhabi organizations and movements to support ISIS, so that they could confront Iran, which has formed its land route from Iraq to Syria and Lebanon for nearly a decade.
ISIS massacred a number of Mosul residents in order to prevent opposition attack. The massacre then marked the beginning of the Mosul battle. But there was one thing about the war that surprised the Arab rulers and ISIS. It was the fact that the forces they were up against were commanded by Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force. The battle continued and ended up with ISIS decisive defeat. The Iraqi government then officially announced the liberation of Mosul from ISIS in July 2017.
Following the aftermath of Mosul battle, the Emirati Al-Arab newspaper wrote that the terrorist group had promised everyone that it would destroy Karbala, but they destroyed Mosul instead! On the other hand, the Al-Arabiya wrote that Iran launched the opening of Imam Khomeini Elementary School in Mosul. After that, the residents constructed what so called Huseiniyya (an Islamic center-like to mourn The Prophet’s grandson, Hussein ibn Ali) and Mowkeeb (a place where the mourners will get accommodations and services for free).
While Arabian Petrodollars agenda in Mosul was to screw Iranian plan to establish Shiite Crescent, the land route which connect Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, the presence of those places in Mosul would definitely strengthen Iranian influence in the city.
In fact, by participating in the battle of Mosul, General Soleimani taught an unforgettable lesson to the Arab rulers and made the Wahhabi and Salafi scholars, led by Mohammed Hayef al-Mutairi, one of the great Salafi in the Persian Gulf, admit Soleimani’s greatness.