The Fatemiyoun Army: Iran’s Afghan Crusaders in Syria
Loyal proxy groups, like the Fatemiyoun Army, provide Tehran with a cost-effective means to confront its stronger foes.
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April 23, 2021
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The Iranian regime has long used Islamist groups as proxies to advance its objectives in the Middle East. Its notorious sponsorship of the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas since the 1980s, for instance, is well documented. What is less known, however, is Tehran’s more recent spiraling proxy warfare with the establishment of a transnational network of Shia militant groups, deployed to confront its adversaries across a variety of battlefields in the wider region. The Fatemiyoun Army is one of these newer proxies, composed entirely of Afghan Shia fighters, deployed to defend Iranian interests in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. This new, transnational aspect of Iran’s traditional proxy warfare can have broad regional implications, threatening U
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The government of Iran remains the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, and unfortunately its educational curriculum is no exception. Public school teachers in Iran today use textbooks designed by the state to indoctrinate young people to export global revolution using terrorism and other aggressive means. As a result, the content of its textbooks should be a global concern.
Image titled “Let’s Go” from a current Iranian state textbook depicting an IRGC officer killed in Syria named Mohsen Hojaji. Grade 10, Defense Preparation, page 123. (Supplied)
I recently completed the first comprehensive study of hate and extremism in current Iranian textbooks in nearly half a decade as part of my ongoing work with the Anti-Defamation League, the results of which are accessible in full on the ADL website.
Fatemiyoun: Iran s Good Taliban
Iran is a significant player in Afghan internal affairs, presenting a sustained and long-term threat to its national security. The ability of Afghan institutions to identify and counter these threats needs to be improved. In particular, Afghan agencies need to significantly improve their strategic information capabilities. The Afghan National Security and Defence Forces (ANDSF) should continue to learn about Iranian operational and strategic objectives implemented through proxy groups such as the Fatemiyoun Brigade.
What is the Fatemiyoun?
The Fatemiyoun Division, also known as the Fatemiyoun Brigade, or Liwa-e-Fatemiyoun, is an Iran-backed Afghan shi’a militia group that has been active in Syria since 2013/14. The Fatemiyoun Division is primarily composed of second-generation Afghan refugees living in Iran. An estimated 20,000-strong force at the peak of the Syrian conflict, the Fatemiyoun had an estimated 50,000 members in total across the