Published date: 2 January 2021 18:12 UTC | Last update: 2 months 2 weeks ago With the famed Quds Force leader gone, Tehran is embarking on a complete overhaul of its Iraqi paramilitaries. If it succeeds, a 'two-headed dragon' will emerge To say that Iraq's Shia leaders are disappointed in the man who replaced Qassem Soleimani is an understatement. They are shocked. Soleimani, the top Iranian general who was killed in a US drone strike on 3 January, 2020, moved among them with ease. He knew each leader, commander and many of their subordinates personally. Their bond, forged over decades, was renowned. Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, the new commander of the Quds Force, Iran's elite unit tasked with overseas operations, boasts none of the same qualities and appears uninterested in replicating them.