How FRANCE 24 traced Tehran-backed Afghan fighters from Syria to southeastern Iran
Summary
Iran-backed Afghan Shia militia members known as the Fatemiyoun have reappeared in Iran after the 2024 fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria. Recent memorial notices and videos place some fighters in Iran, including in Sistan and Baluchistan province, where two were reported killed in October 2026.Key Facts
- Iran recruited and deployed Fatemiyoun fighters to support Bashar al-Assad’s government during Syria’s civil war.
- The militia recruited mainly from Afghan Shia communities, including migrant and refugee communities in Iran.
- Assad’s government fell in December 2024, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard withdrew its forces from Syria.
- Some IRGC-affiliated announcements in March 2026 identified personnel killed in US-Israeli airstrikes in Iran who were linked to the Fatemiyoun.
- Fatemiyoun fighters Ahmad Yaghoubi and Mohammadreza Rahimi were reported killed in separate incidents in Sistan and Baluchistan province on October 2 and October 13, 2026.
- Memorials in Iran displayed portraits of recently killed men alongside images of Fatemiyoun fighters killed in Syria and the militia’s flags.
- The Fatemiyoun division was designated a terrorist entity by Canada and placed under US counterterrorism sanctions in 2019.
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