Human Rights Watch: Iran Deploys Afghan Children to Fight in Syria

Human Rights Watch has accused the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps of deploying Afghan migrant children as soldiers to fight in Syria. The organization reported on Sunday, October 1, that Afghan children, some as young as 14, are being recruited into the Fatemiyoun Brigade to fight alongside Iranian forces in Syria. International law classifies the deployment of individuals under the age of 15 to the front lines as a war crime. The Human Rights Watch report is accompanied by photographs of the gravestones of eight Afghan teenagers buried in Iranian cemeteries, designated for the deceased of the Syrian war. The organization states that reports from Iranian media confirm several of the mentioned cases, with some indicating that at least six Afghan child soldiers have been killed in Syria. Photographs of the gravestones of two of the Afghan casualties show that they were over 18 years old, but their family members told Iranian media that their ages had been altered to allow them to join the Fatemiyoun Brigade. Additionally, five of them were only 14 years old and were buried in the martyrs' section of Behesht Zahra in Tehran. Human Rights Watch further adds that it has identified three other casualties, two of whom were 17 years old and one was 15. The organization reflects the statements of Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East director of Human Rights Watch, who urged Iranian officials to end the recruitment of children and immediately withdraw them from the front lines. She stated, 'Instead of sacrificing defenseless refugee children, Iranian officials should support them and hold accountable those who have recruited them as soldiers.' Two years ago, the Iranian Ministry of Interior estimated that about 2.5 million Afghans live in Iran, many of whom lack residency documents. However, Human Rights Watch recently published a report indicating that some Afghan refugees have volunteered to fight in Syria in hopes of obtaining legal residency for their families. These migrants have formed the Fatemiyoun Brigade, which the Tasnim news agency estimates to number around 14,000. In this context, six other Afghans residing in Qom were killed in Syria, highlighting the high casualties among Afghan Shia in Iran's proxy war in Syria, along with the deaths of five other Iranian military personnel in Syria.