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Is Iran retreating from Syria?

Iranian military commanders have responded to a report from Bloomberg quoting US officials about Iran retreating from Syria.
Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards hold pictures of their Brigadier General Hossein Hamedani during his funeral in Tehran, Iran in this October 11, 2015 file photo. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA/Files   ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX1ZPIG

Iranian military commanders have responded to reports in Western media that their country’s presence in Syria has decreased due to a mounting death toll in recent months.

In an interview with Fars News Agency on Dec. 22, Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami, the deputy head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was asked about “claims from Western media” regarding Iran’s decreasing deployment of forces in Syria. “Decreasing or increasing forces at any scene is a natural act,” Salami said. “But our strategy in this area and our roles in the battlefield and arena of politics have in no way been decreased.”

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