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New evidence shows Iran transporting fighters to Syria

By Waleed Abu al-Khair in Cairo

Fighters from the IRGC-backed Fatemiyoun Brigade are seen traveling to Damascus aboard an Iran Air aircraft to take part in the fighting. [Photo courtesy of Sheyar Turko, via Afghan social media accounts]

Fighters from the IRGC-backed Fatemiyoun Brigade are seen traveling to Damascus aboard an Iran Air aircraft to take part in the fighting. [Photo courtesy of Sheyar Turko, via Afghan social media accounts]

New evidence reveals that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been using civilian flights to transport its fighters and those of affiliated militias to Damascus, an Iranian affairs expert told Diyaruna.

This is a clear violation of provisions of resolutions on the transfer of arms and fighters issued by the UN and the US Treasury, said Sheyar Turko, who studies the funding and proliferation methods of the IRGC.

Photographs of IRGC-affiliated militias being transported aboard Iran Air have been published in regional and international newspapers, websites and on social media accounts, with the airline company’s logo clearly visible.

These photos, some of which were taken in 2016 and others in mid-2017, confirm that fighters from the Afghan Fatemiyoun Brigade have been transported aboard Iranian civil aircraft, he said.

Afghan fighters are seen in a bus, being transported out of Damascus airport after their arrival in Syria. [Photo courtesy of Sheyar Turko, via Afghan social media accounts]

Afghan fighters are seen in a bus, being transported out of Damascus airport after their arrival in Syria. [Photo courtesy of Sheyar Turko, via Afghan social media accounts]

Fighters of the Afghan Fatemiyoun Brigade pose with their weapons after arriving in Syria aboard an Iranian civil aircraft. [Photo courtesy of Sheyar Turko, via Afghan social media accounts]

Fighters of the Afghan Fatemiyoun Brigade pose with their weapons after arriving in Syria aboard an Iranian civil aircraft. [Photo courtesy of Sheyar Turko, via Afghan social media accounts]

"They present clear evidence of Iran’s provocative actions," he said, "as they show that Iranian civil aircraft transported IRGC-affiliated fighters from airports in Iran to airports in Syria to take part in the ongoing war."

This is a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1747 (2007), 1929 (2010) and 2105 (2013), he said.

UN Resolution 1747 stipulates that "Iran shall not supply, sell or transfer directly or indirectly from its territory or by its nationals or using its flag vessels of aircraft any arms or related material".

These actions also violate US Treasury designations issued in 2012 pursuant to Executive Orders 13572 and 13224 related to the transfer of military equipment, weapons and fighters aboard civil aircraft to Syria, Turko added.

The UN and US are expected to issue new sanctions in light of this activity, he said, "as it has become a repeat offense and contributes to prolonging the Syrian war and strengthening the presence of terrorist-designated groups in Syria".

By allowing these photos to be published, Turko said, it is obvious that the IRGC wants to challenge the international community, as it could have prohibited their publication or prevented them from being taken.

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This is a news item that relieves honest people when honest people rush to their help. Meanwhile, there was no news about the recruitment and transfer of mercenaries from across the world to make them join ISIS and other armed groups. Those armed groups have been exposed to be affiliated to Mossad and American expansion with the money of Saudi Arabia and Gulf pigs, who have caused destruction in the country, committed murders, caused the captivation of free women, sent them to the slave market across the world, or enjoyed them as salves of war under Wahhabi fatwas.

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