Shadowy Man, Dark Knight, Living Martyr and Haj Qasem are just a few of the monikers of Gen. Qasem Soleimani — Iran's top military man in the Middle East and commander of the Quds Force. Though Soleimani has become famous these days in the regional and world media due to his war against the Islamic State (IS), he was previously relatively unknown in the region — only familiar to those influential and knowledgeable people in the region. These days, he mostly spends his time in Iraq. Iranian officials have confirmed that Soleimani is now advising the Iraqi army and volunteer Shiite troops on fighting IS.

The Associated Press reports that Soleimani doesn't wear a flak jacket on the battlefield and that he has restored Iraqi sovereignty to several major cities. Nazem Dabbagh, the parliamentary representative of Iran's Kurdistan region, told an Iranian magazine that Soleimani doesn't stay within the walls of the palace or luxury hotels. He doesn't merely sit and give orders; he is always present on the battlefield.

According to the BBC, Iran and America have divided operations in Iraq: Tehran fights on the ground, and America fights in the sky. Soleimani’s appearances alongside Badr and peshmerga troops in Iraq is confirmation of Iran’s presence in Iraq, which, according to Iranian military officials, is limited to advice and planning strategies.

Soleimani’s role has been so prominent that, according to Iran’s former ambassador to the United Nations, Sadeq Kharrazi, US Secretary of State John Kerry has called for a meeting with him, and President Barrack Obama has addressed him as a "respectable enemy." Some Iranian officials also believe that his presence in Iraq can influence the nuclear talks.