Soleimani was born in 1957 in a village in the Kerman province of Iran into a somewhat impoverished peasant family.
In his early days he started working in construction right after finishing primary school.
He kept physically fit in the gym.
In 1979 CE, right after the Iranian Revolution, he joined the Revolutionary Guard.
It is unclear how much of his motivation came from religious fervor and how much from a youthful desire to be part of grand events.
He got his first taste of battle when Saddam Husssein invaded Iran a year later.
He engaged in both regular warfare and irregular operations inside Iraq, partaking in many.
Despite lack of education, Soleimani rose quickly through the ranks.
His appearance was quiet yet charismatic.
He is reported to show himself fearless in the face of danger on the battlefield.
After the war, Soleimani put down a rebellion in home region of Kerman and fought against drug kartels.
In 1997 CE or 1998 CE he was a brigadier-general and became commander of the Quds Force, a unit that operates in irregular warfare and intelligence,
trying to export Iran's islamic revolution beyond its borders.
First he had to maneuver against the Taliban in Afghanistan, who were a threat to Iran.
Later he worked in other countries, inlcuding Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, collaborating with various groups friendly with Iran.
He supplied them with weapons, training and intelligence.
This was fighting by proxy, sometimes in regular warfare but mostly in the grey zone between war and terrorism.
In 2011 CE he was promoted to major general.
By then he was the effective leader of Iran's armed forces and possibly the second most powerful man in the country.
When the Syrian Civil War broke out the next year,
Soleimani supported the Syrian government against the rebels, Iraq and later Daesh too.
By this time he was not only supporting his allies but actively commanding military forces outside Iran.
The country's political course in general and Soleimani's efforts in particular had earned him hate from the USA.
When the Americans located him at Baghdad Internal Airport in 2020 CE, president Trump sent in a drone
and assassinated him with it.
War Matrix - Qasem Soleimani
Global Age 1991 CE - present, Generals and leaders