Five fighters from the Iran-backed Afghan Fatimioun militia have been killed in Syria, whilst fighting on behalf of the Bashar Assad dictatorship.
The Iranian Sacred Defense news agency reported the deaths of the militants on Wednesday, but didn’t state what militia they belonged to.
Those reported dead include Sayid Akbar Husseini, Mohamad Eissa Ahmadi, Murtada Karim, Salim Safrezedeh and Mohamad Ghulam Muhseini. They were reported to have been buried in Iranian cities.
The Fatimioun brigades, which are loyal to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), are mostly made up of Afghan refugees who fled to Iran for sanctuary.
The Iranian Regime promised that the refugees who joined this Iran-backed militia would be granted citizenship for them and their families upon their return, which is a violation of the rights of refugees.
The Iranian Regime has also recruited child soldiers into the ranks of the Fatimioun, which violates the UN Charter on the rights of children. This was reported by Human Rights Watch back in November 2017, but is still continuing to this day.
Iran’s role in Syria
The Iranian Regime is heavily involved in the Syrian Civil War, having sent fighters and militant groups there since 2011 to prop up the ailing Syrian Regime.
They have sent many of their security forces into battle, including the IRGC and the Quds Force, who are supposedly acting as ‘military advisers’, but have also sent in a huge amount of ‘volunteers’, which includes the refugees and children who are hardly fighting on their own free will.
Other militant groups that Iran has used in Syria include the Zeinabioun brigades, made up of Pakistani fighters, and the Popular Mobilisation Forces, made up of Iraqi fighters.
So far, the Regime is estimated to have sent in about 25,000 troops and lost several thousand. The total number is unclear because Iran has been downplaying its involvement, but make no mistake; it is a lot higher than they claim.
Why is Iran so fixated on Syria?
Iran has given many reasons for its involvement in Syria, from fighting ISIS to defending religious shrines, but the real reason is that Iran will benefit if Assad remains in power.
First, the Regime believes that this will put Assad in the pocket and turn Syria into an Iranian vassal state. Second, the Regime believes this will put down the calls for regime change in their own country.
It is clear that the Iranian Regime will not stop this meddling in Syria, just as they did not stop meddling in Iraq and Lebanon. The only way to stop this regional aggression is with regime change by and for the people of Iran.
Source » ncr-iran