Baku, Azerbaijan, March 7
By Farhad Daneshvar – Trend:
The number of fatalities among the Iranian-backed forces in Syria has reached 2,100, a senior official says.
Seyed Mohammad Ali Shahidi, the head of Iranian foundation of martyrs and veterans affairs, has said that 2,100 “shrine-defenders” have been killed in Syria, Mehr news agency reported.
Iranian officials describe those Iranian, Afghan and Pakistani troops deployed to Syria and Iraq to back Damascus and Baghdad in fight against terrorists and armed opposition groups as “shrine-defenders”.
Seyed Mohammad Ali Shahidi last November put the death toll at 1000.
Following the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, Iran reportedly 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.
In addition, the Islamic Republic sent a group of its military personnel to Syria on advisory mission.
According to the latest UN statistics updated in August 2015 at least 250,000 people including civilians have been killed in the past five years in Syria.
Iran-backed militias’ death toll in Syria soars
Seyed Mohammad Ali Shahidi, the head of Iranian foundation of martyrs and veterans affairs, has said that 2,100 “shrine-defenders” have been killed in Syria, Mehr news agency reported.
