Baku, Azerbaijan, March 3
By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend:
A funeral ceremony has been held in Iran's Qom City for the six Pakistani nationals killed in armed clashes in Syria.
The slain Pakistani nationals were members of the Zeinabioun brigade, Tabnak news agency reported March 3.
Reportedly, the Pakistanis were killed in an operation conducted by pro-government forces aimed at taking control of two Shia-populated cities in northern Syria.
Following the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, Iran set up Zeinabioun brigade of Pakistani Shia nationals and the Fatemioun brigade of Afghan Shia fighters to support President Bashar al-Assad's government against armed opposition groups.
Iranian officials have constantly denied that their servicemen have boots on the ground in Syria, saying the officers of the Islamic Republic are in Syria as advisers at official request from Damascus.
First major cessation of hostilities in the five years of Syrian crisis was agreed in late February as part of a US-Russia plan.
However, both pro-government and anti-government forces have reported several breaches of truce over the past week. Iran has also expressed its support for truce in Syria.
More than 250,000 people have been killed in the Syrian crisis with hundreds of thousands displaced since crisis sparked in the country.