Death of at least 15 Afghans and Pakistanis in Syria

Reports from Iranian media indicate the death of at least 15 more Afghans and Pakistanis in Syria. Iranian news agencies, including the religious news agency Abna, reported that the bodies of 11 Afghan and Pakistani individuals killed in Syria were buried in Qom on Thursday (July 15). The identities of two of the deceased, Hassan Hosseini and Mahdi Sharifi, who were members of the 'Fatimiyoun Brigade,' have been announced. Jan Hossein, Navid Hossein, Ekhtiar Hossein, Bahar Hossein, Vakil Hossein, Zinat Hossein, Abid Hossein, Kamyab Ali, and Navid Ali are also Pakistani members of the 'Zainabiyoun Brigade' whose bodies were buried in Qom. ISNA also reported that on Thursday, the body of Zarif Yaqoubi, an Afghan national killed in Syria, was buried, with his burial site announced as the city of Saveh. Additionally, Mohammad Rasoul Heydari, Abbas Heydari, and Bahman Hasani are three other Afghan nationals whose bodies were buried in Bumehen, Varamin, and Garmsar. A group of Afghans and Pakistanis residing in Iran are currently fighting in Syria in favor of Bashar al-Assad as part of the 'Fatimiyoun Brigade' and 'Zainabiyoun Brigade.' These military forces are organized, trained, and dispatched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Since the onset of the civil war in Syria, numerous reports have emerged regarding the deaths of a significant number of IRGC commanders and forces in Syria, published by Iranian news agencies and websites. Despite these reports and images of some Iranian casualties in the Syrian war being released by domestic Iranian news agencies, IRGC commanders claim that this entity does not have 'combat forces' in Syria. The Islamic Republic is considered the main supporter of Bashar al-Assad's government in the Middle East. Additionally, Hezbollah in Lebanon has also confirmed the presence of its forces in the Syrian civil war. In this context, the burial of five Afghans and Pakistanis killed in Syria took place in Qom, while the bodies of seven other casualties from the Syrian and Iraqi wars were buried in Iran. The funeral of eight Afghans killed in Syria was held in Mashhad, with over 50 Iranian forces reported dead in the Syrian war within a month. The casualty statistics of Iranian forces dispatched to Syria have increased, with NATO stating that Iran's recruitment of Afghans has disrupted the army's balance.