Iranian Basij official says 50 student volunteers killed fighting in Syria
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 6 December 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Iranian Basij official says 50 student volunteers killed fighting in Syria, 6 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a30110.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
December 06, 2016
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, speaks during a meeting with members of the Basij force in Tehran on November 22.
The press agency for Iran's hard-line conservative volunteer militia, the Basij, has quoted a senior official as saying that 50 Iranian student volunteers have been killed while fighting in Syria.
Basij Press quoted Daud Gudrazi – the head of the Student Basij Organization, a branch of the militia force – as saying on December 6 that 50 students had been "martyred" since November.
Gudrazi used the phrase "defenders of the shrine," which is used to describe Iranian and other Shi'ite forces trained and deployed in Syria by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Basij force.
Gudrazi added that there was "high volume" of volunteers ready to fight in Syria.
Iran, which has supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war, has claimed it sends military advisers and volunteers to help government forces, but denies sending its own troops.
Even so, Iranian media have reported the death of dozens of Iranian "volunteers" in Syria in the past several years.
Based on reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda and Basij press
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
