Iranian forces form new groups to boost influence in east Syria
The Fatemiyoun Brigade and the Iranian militias have beefed up their presence in Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria by bringing in more Syrian elements into their ranks and intensifying their religious, military and cultural activities in order to expand and preserve their interests.
ALEPPO, Syria — Iranian forces and affiliated militias in Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria are trying to boost their influence and restore their prestige after suffering a resounding blow at the military, religious and cultural levels following the Israeli airstrikes that targeted Jan. 13 dozens of their sites in the province near the Syrian border with Iraq.
Iranian forces are working to recruit Syrians from Deir ez-Zor and other provinces to join their ranks and form new militias, as part of their plan to cling to their influence and strategic interests in the region. It also conveys a message of confrontation to both Israel and the United States.
The Afghan Fatemiyoun Brigade is one of the most prominent militias affiliated with the Iranian forces in Deir ez-Zor province, and it is widely spread in the province’s countryside as well as in other Syrian provinces. The brigade, and most of its Afghan Shiite fighters loyal to the Iranian regime, joined the war alongside Bashar al-Assad’s regime against the Free Syrian Army almost a year after the start of the Syrian revolution in 2011.
The Fatemiyoun Brigade subsequently became one of the largest Iranian-backed militias in Syria as it increased its presence and organized several training camps.
