Jafari: Hamadani was the 'Collector of the 2009 Sedition' and 'Balancer of the Syrian Army'

Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), referred to Hossein Hamadani as the 'Collector of the 2009 Sedition' and 'Balancer of the Syrian Army' during a television program. According to Fars News Agency, Jafari discussed the characteristics and record of Hamadani, a senior IRGC commander who was recently killed in Syria. Jafari noted that 'Hosseini Hamadani had high experience and capability in dealing with urban insecurities, such as the events of the 2009 sedition,' stating, 'He was able to quell this sedition with wisdom, foresight, planning, and trust in the deployment of popular forces and the Imam Ali brigades.' Jafari further highlighted Hamadani's role in the street clashes of 2009, saying, 'He was on the streets during the tragic events of Ashura that year, and if it weren't for his presence and planning, we might have faced greater losses to the people and the city of Tehran.' Jafari also addressed Hamadani's role in the Syrian civil war, stating, 'General Hamadani was able to balance the behavior of the Syrian army, and the survival of the Syrian regime today is very much dependent on this change in behavior, which Martyr Hamadani played an important role in.' Jafari mentioned that Hamadani organized 100,000 Syrians 'to confront insecurities,' emphasizing that 'Syria was thirsty for utilizing experiences and capabilities due to recent events in the country.' He added, 'Martyr Hamadani voluntarily went to this region about four years ago when these events began in Syria, knowing that the only way to confront such insecurity in countries is to organize popular forces.' Jafari concluded by referring to Hamadani's last mission in Syria, stating that the Syrian front command had requested his advisory and operational use, which was supposed to be temporary, and he was to return to the country after completing the mission. In recent days, other IRGC officials have also commented on Hamadani's activities during the post-election events of 2009 and his presence in the Syrian conflict. For instance, on October 10, Rasoul Sanaei Rad, head of the political department of the IRGC, stated in an interview that 'one of the people who helped us confront the great sedition of 2009 with the least cost was Martyr Hamadani, and in the field, he implemented maximum recruitment and minimum resolution.' The former commander of the IRGC and secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran also mentioned that Hamadani participated in '80 operations' in Syria. Mohsen Rezaei, on Sunday, October 19, at Hamadani's funeral, announced that he had been in Syria since 2011 and had established two 'military headquarters' in Damascus and Aleppo. Regarding Hamadani's role in suppressing the protests following the 2009 elections, some websites and news agencies have republished an interview with this senior IRGC commander. According to the Tabnak website, Hamadani stated in this interview about his actions in 2009: 'We identified 5,000 individuals who were present in the riots but were not part of political parties and were from the thugs and ruffians, and we controlled them at their homes; on the day they called for protests, they were controlled and not allowed to leave their homes.' In the continuation of this interview, Hamadani mentioned, 'Then I organized these individuals into brigades. Later, these three brigades showed that if we want to train fighters, we must bring such individuals who deal with knives and swords into action.' Hamadani also stated regarding the Ashura events of 2009, 'When the security council meeting of Tehran province was held on the night of Ashura, all assessments indicated that Tehran would be calm the next day; my assessment was that there would be events on Ashura. Therefore, we requested two more extraordinary meetings and declared readiness.' He added, 'I rented all the cinemas in Tehran. We took control of all schools and religious centers. I also prepared about 30 groups that were connected to me and told them to bring their processions towards the university square. On Ashura, these three brigades quelled the unrest.' This IRGC commander concluded the interview by stating, 'These words should be recorded in history,' adding, 'In these events, we had 830 wounded. The 2009 sedition is more important than Syria and the eight-year war. There were 45,000 Basijis in this scene, and not only did they not receive any money, but they also paid for their own fuel and other expenses.' Hossein Hamadani, a senior commander of the IRGC in Syria, was killed on Friday night in Aleppo. He was the commander of the 'Mohammad Rasulullah' IRGC in Tehran during the suppression of the protests in 2009.