Beheading of IRGC fighter unites Iranians
Iranians across the country and political spectrum have reacted to the death of Mohsen Hojjaji, an IRGC fighter who was beheaded by the Islamic State, with calls for revenge.
Imagery of the decapitated body of Mohsen Hojjaji, a fighter from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who was dispatched to Syria, surfaced on Iranian social media Aug. 9. Earlier, the Islamic State (IS) had shared video of Hojjaji's capture on the Syrian-Iraqi border during a surprise attack that left a number of people dead. Iranian officials and social media users immediately sent their condolences to his parents and wife and vowed to “cleanse” the region of IS.
While it is often the more gruesome IS videos that go viral, it was Hojjaji’s picture the moment he was captured that took off. The picture is particularly haunting and looks like something out of a film. Hojjaji, dressed in military fatigues, is held by an IS fighter with a knife in his hand. In the background, black smoke rises from the overtaken camp.
