Iranian Quds forces dying in Syria

waltky · Nov 28, 2015

Iranian soldiers dyin' by the scores in Syria...

Iranian media is revealing that scores of the countrys fighters are dying in Syria
November 27,`15 An increasing number of Iranian soldiers and militiamen appear to be dying in Syrias civil war, and observers credit media from an unexpected country for revealing the trend:

Iran.

A flurry of reports in Irans official and semi(*)official news outlets about the deaths including funerals and even a eulogy to a fallen general by Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have surprised analysts who monitor the countrys tightly controlled media. The reports, they say, indicate that at least 67 Iranians have been killed in Syria since the beginning of October. Just a few months ago, Iranian media said little about the countrys military intervention in (*)Syria to shore up the government. But as Iranian fighters participate in a new Russian-led offensive against Syrian rebels, Irans leaders might have a reason to offer more details of their countrys involvement, said Ali Alfoneh, an Iran expert at the (*)Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies. They are proud of this and they want to show it, he said. Since Iranian forces became increasingly involved in the conflict in 2013, he noted, about 10 fighters were being killed every month, but the numbers surged after Russia, another ally of Syrias government, began launching airstrikes at rebels in late September.

Iranian soldiers participate in maneuvers near the town of Torbat-E-Jam on Nov. 17 to prepare for possible attacks by groups such as the Islamic State, a military commander said.

Iran has been a key military and financial backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during nearly five years of conflict, viewing his government as critical for projecting Iranian influence across the region. Irans elite Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard Corps helped Assad build powerful pro-government militias to support Syrias exhausted and broken military. Iran, a Shiite nation, also has ordered thousands of Shiite militiamen from Lebanon, Iraq and other countries to fight in Syria against the Sunni-led rebellion. But in Irans media, the role of Revolutionary Guard soldiers and Iranian militiamen in Syria has been generally played down. They are described as advisers or volunteers protecting Shiite shrines.

It is unclear precisely how many Iranians are fighting in Syria. While U.S. officials estimate their number to be in the hundreds, Phillip Smyth, a researcher on Shiite militant groups at the University of Maryland, said 2,000 Iranians or more could be deployed there. And they appear to be increasingly involved in direct combat operations during the Russian offensive, which could explain the rising death toll, Smyth said. The United States long sought to exclude Iran from regional discussions about Syrias future, largely because of its support for Assad. But last month, Iran was invited to join in a regional meeting on the subject, a sign of acknowledgment by Washington of the broad influence that Tehran wields in Syria.

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Margot2 · Aug 20, 2016

waltky said: ↑

Iranian soldiers dyin' by the scores in Syria...

Iranian media is revealing that scores of the country’s fighters are dying in Syria
November 27,`15 — An increasing number of Iranian soldiers and militiamen appear to be dying in Syria’s civil war, and observers credit media from an unexpected country for revealing the trend:
Click to expand...

Iran must have lots of cannon fodder.

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Iranian Quds forces dying in Syria

waltky Well-Known Member

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Iranian Quds forces dying in Syria

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