Members of the Fatemiyoun Brigade during the Palmyra offensive in December 2016
A video showing a large reinforcement of the Afghan Fatemiyoun Brigade arriving in the Syrian desert was spread in social media. The Iranian-backed formation was reportedly spotted in the vicinity of Jabal al-Bishri region on the border between Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa and Homs governorates.
Liwa Fatemiyoun is an Iranian-backed Afghan group that has operated in Syria since 2014.
It reportedly has up to 20,000 fighters in Syria and was mainly active in Aleppo, Homs and Deir Ezzor. The Afghan group was reportedly funded, trained, and equipped by the IRGC.
Back in 2020, Liwa Fatemiyoun fighters carried out combing operations in the southern countryside of Deir Ezzor, targeting ISIS cells.
The Afghan group may be preparing to launch a new combing operation in Deir Ezzor, or to participate in a military operation by the Syrian Arab Army against ISIS remnants in the nearby Homs desert. Their reinforement may also be linked with the on-going escalation between the Iranian-backed forces and the U.S. in Syria and Iraq.
