Two IRGC Forces Killed in Syria

On Saturday, December 2, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported the death of two members of this military force of the Islamic Republic in Syria. In a statement published by Iranian news agencies, the IRGC's public relations office wrote that Mohammad Ali Ataei-Shorcheh and Panah Taghizadeh were killed 'while performing advisory missions in the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria' by those referred to as 'the murderous usurping Zionists.' The statement did not specify the exact time and location of the deaths of these two IRGC members and did not provide further details on the matter. Since the beginning of protests in March 2011 and subsequently the civil war in Syria, the Islamic Republic has begun extensive military and financial support for the government of Bashar al-Assad. In this context, the dispatch of IRGC commanders and forces to Syria, as well as the formation of the Fatemiyoun Brigade from individuals referred to as 'volunteers' from Afghanistan, has drawn widespread criticism from Arab and Western countries. However, the Islamic Republic has stated that by using the term 'advisors,' they are not participating in military operations. Concerns have been expressed by U.S. allies in Syria regarding the continued attacks by Iranian proxy militants. A detailed report from the U.S. State Department states that the Islamic Republic has been the largest supporter of terrorism in the world for the past forty years. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has called for an investigation into the crimes of the Syrian government.