TEHRAN -- The Iranian Army on Wednesday confirmed the martyrdom of Second Brigadier General pilot Majid Kazemi, one of the pilots of an Iranian Air Force Su-24 fighter jet, following specialized forensic examinations and DNA testing.
According to a statement issued by the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, General Kazemi was among the pilots involved in a March 2 operation targeting the U.S.-operated Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which caused heavy damage to the facility.
The Army said Kazemi’s martyrdom was confirmed through DNA testing after months of efforts to determine the fate of the pilots involved in the mission.
Efforts are still underway to establish the status of the three remaining pilots from the two Su-24 aircraft, the statement said, adding that further information will be released once additional verified findings become available.
According to the statement, on March 2, two Iranian Air Force Su-24 fighter jets took off from Shahid Doran Air Base in Shiraz as part of a “daring operation” in response to “brutal and cowardly attacks by the terrorist US military and the child-killing Zionist regime.”
The aircraft, according to the statement, crossed advanced surveillance systems and radar positions before carrying out a strike on the U.S.-operated Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, causing heavy damage to the installation.
The statement said the two aircraft were hit by enemy air defense systems over the Persian Gulf while returning from the mission, and efforts to determine the fate of the four pilots had continued since then.
The Army said Kazemi’s body was transferred from Shahid Lashgari Air Base in Tehran to Shahid Doran Air Base in Shiraz for funeral and burial ceremonies.
The body arrived at Shahid Lashgari Air Base on Wednesday morning and was received in an official ceremony attended by senior commanders and personnel of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, including Deputy Air Force Commander Brigadier General Ali Akbar Talebzadeh.
It was later transferred to Shiraz, where funeral ceremonies will be held on Thursday and Friday with the participation of military officials, commanders and members of the public.