SOHR exclusive | Iranian-backed militias wreak havoc in Syria
With the first spark of the “Syrian Revolution” in 2011, Iranian-backed militias entered Syria under various pretexts and excuses fabricated by the Syrian regime and commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps who have had strong ties with the effective leadership of Syria’s security and intelligence services.
Presence of Iranian-backed militias in Syria remains a major obstacle to any political settlement, especially with the rivalries among these militias, which manifest itself in the competition between the Lebanese Hezbollah, whose members are known for ‘complex and difficult’ relationship with the Syrian civilians, and the Afghani “Liwaa Fatemiyoun” (Fatemiyoun Brigade) to assert their influence, while each side is trying to prove that it deserves Iran’s support more than the other.
Iranian-backed formations: The beginnings
With the start of the Syrian Revolution, the Afghani Liwaa Fatemiyoun was formed in Iran by IRGC commanders. IRGC have deliberately chosen non-Iranian members for that formation, which would serve Iran’s interests, in order to evade disturbance in Iran and to make sure that it would be turned into an independent power competing with Liwaa Al-Quds and IRGC.
During the war in Afghanistan, thousands of Afghans, mostly of the Hazaras Shiite group, sought refuge in Iran fleeing from Taliban, Al-Qaeda and bombardment on various areas of Afghanistan, which lasted for many years. Some of these refugees have settled in the Iranian city of Qom, where their children attended schools.
With the beginning of “Arab Spring”, Iran exploited the chaos in some countries which experienced uprisings against their rulers, such as in Syria and Yemen, and decided to form militias in these countries adopting its Shiite ideology, acting like advanced forces on the frontlines so that Iran would not be directly involved in hot conflicts, which may draw condemnations by the international community.
Iranian authorities started to clamp down on and blackmail desperate refugees who sought residency and employment. Those refugees were forced to bow to the demands of the government which gave the option of being granted residency in return for joining Liwaa Fatemiyoun with the task of “guarding” the holy Shiite shrines in Syria, or leave Iran. An IRGC commander called “Ali Reza Tavassoli” was entrusted with the formation of Liwaa Fatemiyoun. It is worth noting that Tavassoli was a close friend of the Al-Quds Corps commander “Qassem Soleimani” who was killed in a US airstrike in January 2020, alongside the deputy chief of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces “Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis” and several Iraqi and Iranian escorts.
Ali Reza Tavassoli offered the desperate refugees, in the case they accepted to join Liwaa Fatemiyoun, a monthly salary of one million Iranian Rials, as well as residency in Iran for them and their families. In addition, Tavassoli promised to grant 50 million Iranian Rials to the families of fighters killed during service in Syria.
Moving to Syria
With the onset of the uprising in Syria, imams, preachers and influential figures stirred up sectarian strife by circulating fake reports about slogans “written” by protesters and regime opponents on Sayeda Zeinab shrine in Sayeda Zeinab area in Rif Dimashq which read “when you (the regime) leave, take her with you”(her refers to the remains of Sayeda Zeinab, the daughter of Ali bin abi Talib and the prophet’s granddaughter). The Iranian exploited this strife, citing the attack on holy Shiite figures and shrines as an excuse to enter Syria.
Accordingly, Iranian airplanes transported thousands of fighters to Syria to protect the holy shrines in Damascus, Rif Dimashq, Aleppo and other Syrian cities. The number of Iranian-backed militiamen at that time approximated 5,000.
The members of Liwaa Fatemiyoun later were deployed in areas hosting Shiite shrines to protect and guard them, as agreed with the Afghan refugees in Iran. However, they engaged in fighting along the regime forces shortly after their arrival in Syria, where they killed many Syrians and forced countless others to displace.
Violations and military operations
As military operations extended to more areas across Syria, several militias started to support the Syrian regime, with Lebanese Hezbollah and Afghani Liwaa Fatemiyoun being the most prominent and powerful of those militias.
The two Iranian-backed militias engaged in the military operations against rebel and jihadi opposition factions throughout Syria. The participation of Iranian-backed militias in military battles was more effective in Damascus and Rif Dimashq, including Al-Qalamoun, Al-Zabadani and the siege of Madaya, where several of the town’s people starved to death.
The militias also participated in the battles which led to the regime taking control of eastern Ghouta, the surrounding areas of Damascus international airport, southern Rif Dimashq and other areas to the flank of Daraa province. Moreover, Daraa, the “Cradle of the Syrian Revolution,” has been suffering from the Iranian-backed militias’ practices.
Liwaa Fatemiyoun was dealt a severe blow during the Daraa battles alongside the Syrian regime, when the Iranian-backed militia lost its founder “Ali Reza Tavassoli” who was killed by opposition factions. The death of Tavassoli was a turning point for Fatemiyoun in terms of their strategy and stance in Syria.
In battles in Homs city and countryside, particularly Homs city, Palmyra, Al-Qusayr and Al-Sha’er oil field, Iranian-backed militias lost many of their members, while at the same time killed many Syrian civilians.
The Iranian-backed militias’ participation in military operations also extended to Hama, Aleppo and Idlib, where their participation in the battles led to the successful lifting of the siege imposed on Aleppo prison.
Distribution of Iranian-backed militias
Iranian-backed militias comprise at least 65,500 Syrian and non-Syrian fighters and are deployed in all areas controlled by the Syrian regime, among them there are 8,000 fighters operate under the banner of Liwaa Fatemiyoun, according to SOHR statistics. The Iranian-backed militiamen are distributed as follows:
- Damascus and Rif Dimashq: Nearly 10,200 fighters. They are deployed in several cities, towns and villages and they dominate the entire area from Damascus to the Syria-Lebanon border.
- South Syria: Nearly 11,500 fighters. They were recruited by pro-Iranian spiritual figures in “Saraya al-Areen” of the 313th Brigade in northern Daraa, Al-Lajat in Daraa countryside, Al-Baath city and Khan Arnabah in Al-Quneitra countryside, areas near the border with the occupied Syrian Golan and in Al-Suwaidaa countryside.
- Homs and the deserts of Hama and Al-Raqqah: Nearly 4,800 Syrian, Arab and Asian fighters.
- Idlib: Nearly 900 Syrian and non-Syrian fighters.
- Aleppo: Nearly 8,350 fighters. They are deployed in Aleppo city, Nebl, Al-Zahraa and its surrounding areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo, Al-Eis, Al-Hader in the southern countryside of Aleppo
- Maskanah, Deir Hafer and Al-Sfirah in east Aleppo countryside.
- Al-Qamishli: At least 800 fighters, of them there are 390 fighters and commanders of the regime-backed National Defence Forces, while 410 are of civilians and people of Arab tribes, such as Al-Abid, Yassar, Hareeth, Bani Sab’a and Al-Sharayeen. It is worth noting that these fighters were recruited through offering incentive monthly salaries, while most of them were transported to Deir Ezzor province, after Asayish Forces captured Tayy neighbourhood in Al-Qamishli city.
- Deir Ezzor (west Euphrates region): At least 29,000 fighters, among them there are 11,000 Syrian fighters and nearly 18,000 Arab and Asian fighters. They are deployed in the area from frontlines with areas under the control of the Turkish-backed National Army in east Aleppo countryside to the Syria-Iraq border, running through Deir Ezzor.
In the Shiite area of Nebl and Al-Zahraa in the northern countryside of Aleppo, a military formation was established dubbed “Al-Haj Qassem Soleimani Regiment” comprising members from the area, most of whom were transported to serve in Al-Bokamal in Deir Ezzor.
Recruitment
With strong financial and support based on the use of US dollar, Iran could recruit many Syrians easily by offering incentive monthly salaries higher than that of the regime, exploiting the dire living conditions.
The Lebanese Hezbollah started recruiting Syrian people well before Liwaa Fatemiyoun. With the expansion of military operations, Hezbollah participation in battles and recruitment have noticeably subsided, while Liwaa Fatemiyoun proceeded through different strategy.
After Liwaa Fatemiyoun had engaged in the Syrian conflict, the founder of the Afghani militia “Ali Reza Tavassoli” aimed to compete with the Lebanese Hezbollah to entrench the militia’s presence in Syria, and instil its ideologies in segments of the Syrian society and deploy troops across Syria.
The intervention of the International Coalition to counter the Islamic State in Syria has opened the way for US forces to deal closely with the expansion of Iranian-backed militias and relatively curtail it, where US forces have been Iran’s major adversary, as military commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and senior commanders of the Iranian-backed militias in Syria have claimed.
With the expansion of military operations, regime forces were able to capture most of Syria’s geography, backed by Iranian-backed militias and Russian forces, until they reached Deir Ezzor, exactly the western bank of the Euphrates River, where the US forces have been stationed on the river’s eastern bank.
Hezbollah did not want to risk its presence in Syria by attacking US bases, so it reduced participation in military actions and seemed satisfied with its dominant control of the Syria-Lebanon border. Accordingly, Liwaa Fatemiyoun could draw the Iranian leadership’s attention and gradually replaced Hezbollah which has been preoccupied with smuggling operations and the crisis in Lebanon, as the most powerful and influential Iranian-backed military formation in Syria.
The Iranian-backed militias have exploited the disastrous living conditions and expanded “Shi’aism” and their proselytising operations (conversion to Shiite) among affiliated recruits, their family and entire segments of Syrian society by offering financial incentives and continuous usage of religion and sectarianism.
In Deir Ezzor city and countryside, Liwaa Fatemiyoun has changed the names of several mosques and people, which did not suit their “believes”. In this context, Abu Bakr mosque was renamed Fatemah Al-Zahraa mosque. Similarly, the Iranian-backed militia changed the name of a female student called “Aisha” to “Ruqayyah”, while the name of another boy called “Omar” was changed to “Ali”.
The Iranians operating in Syria also promoted some slogans used to be chanted in Iran. One example, among many, was the imposition on the children of Deir Ezzor to chant “death to America and Israel” during trips, mostly staged by the Iranian culture centres with the aim to impress the children and spur them follow Shiite doctrine.
The Iranians followed a different strategy to recruit young men, as they turned to repressing, terrorizing and arresting young men, who later found themselves forced to volunteer in the ranks of one of the Iranian-backed militias. In addition, some young men were forced to leave or change his work; this, in turn, gave these men no choices but to work for the Iranian-backed militias.
According to SOHR activists in that region, Liwaa Fatemiyoun follows a specific system, as the senior commanders are Iranians, while the second-ranking commanders are Afghan. These commanders live with their families in houses near the militias’ headquarters and centers, while the houses belong to suspects who fled to areas outside the control of the Syrian regime.
The commanders of Liwaa Fatemiyoun are known for monopolizing relief assistance provided by humanitarian organizations and associations to the region in order to distribute them only to the families of the Afghan militiamen. The commanders have also prepared Al-Shefaa hospital in Al-Mayadeen to serve Afghan militiamen and their families, while the region’s residents are prevented from receiving medical treatment in the hospital.
With the green IDs they hold, Afghan militiamen of Liwaa Fatemiyoun are never stopped or inspected at regime checkpoints. Moreover, members of Liwaa Fatemiyoun control roads used for smuggling between Syria and Iraq to move vegetable from Iraq to Damascus and Homs through affiliated agents, and smuggle tobacco and drugs from Syria to Iraq.
According to sources close to the Iranian-backed brigade, the Afghan militiamen prefer to sleep in areas away from the military headquarters and centres, fearing airstrikes by the International Coalition and Israel, which have killed tens of the brigade’s militiamen and destroyed many camps and positions in Deir Ezzor, Syrian desert, southern Rif Dimashq and Al-Qalamoun.
We, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), renew our appeal to the international community, United Nations and UN Security Council to hold all criminals, perpetrators of violations and all those who aided and abetted the killing of Syrian people accountable, and to list all Iranian organizations and commanders involved in the Syrian conflict as terrorists, so that support provided to them blocked.
The Syrian Observatory would like to point out that the Iranian-backed militias which support the Syrian regime have killed thousands of the Syrian people since their involvement in Syrian and forced countless others to leave their properties under fabricated and illegal pretexts.