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 nine-year conflict.