BAGHDAD (AP) – Thousands of mourners are gathering for a funeral procession through Baghdad for Iran’s top general and Iraqi militant leaders killed in a U.S. airstrike. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds force and mastermind of its regional security strategy, was killed in an airstrike overnight Friday near the Iraqi capital’s airport. Iran has vowed harsh retaliation, raising fears of an all-out war. U.S. President Donald Trump says he ordered the strike to prevent a conflict. The U.S. and Iran have been sliding toward an open conflict since Trump withdrew the U.S. from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. Saudi Arabia has called for “de-escalation” saying the region could be facing “unbearable consequences.”