An Iraqi militia backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) held public military parades in two Syrian cities on the second day of Eid al-Fitr, causing outrage among residents.

On Monday (June 26th), dozens of armed fighters from the Zulfiqar Brigade clad in military uniforms marched down the streets of Aleppo and Damascus, holding up pictures of Iranian leaders and banners with sectarian slogans.

The militia was also marking the annual al-Quds day event.

"The public military parades by the Zulfiqar Brigade in [the town of] al-Sayyida Zainab in Damascus, and in Aleppo, have sparked a wave of anger among Syrians," said Aleppo-based media activist Faisal al-Ahmad.

"This was seen as a highly provocative move," he told Diyaruna.

The parades aimed to legitimise the presence of the Zulfiqar Brigade by publicly revealing its fighters, he said, after the militia was kept under wraps by the IRGC since its inception in 2013.

"Some Syrian army officers and National Defence Forces elements were also present," al-Ahmad said, noting that they sealed off some of the main roads to allow the military parade to move freely.

'Sectarian provocation'

Syrian residents in non-regime controlled areas saw the parade as a "sectarian provocation" and a "direct threat to Syrians", he said, particularly as news of the violations committed by brigade fighters against citizens have been broadly circulated.

"The elements of this militia engage in provocative acts in areas under their control and deal arrogantly with residents," he said.

They indiscriminately arrest anyone that expresses reservations over their actions, he added.

Syrians living in areas under regime control also consider these acts as a continuance of lawlessness and the absence of security and official security forces, al-Ahmad said.

Iraqi militia fighting in Syria

The Zulfiqar Brigade militia was formed in June 2013 by Iran's IRGC, said Cairo University doctoral student Sheyar Turko, who has been researching the financing of the IRGC.

"The militia is a military faction consisting of primarily Iraqi elements, with a few fighters from Lebanon and Syria," he told Diyaruna.

It also includes Iranian officers, he added.

The brigade sprouted from the Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Brigade and was led by Haidar al-Jubury.

Some of its fighters appear to have been drawn from Jaish al-Mahdi and Asaib Ahl al-Haq Brigade, Turko said, adding that it has between 5,000 and 10,000 fighters.

The militia's fighters first appeared in Damascus under the pretext of defending the holy shrines in al-Sayyida Zainab, he said.

"But news of Zulfiqar Brigade soon spread after they took part in battles in several areas," he said, including battles in the Damascus countryside, Daraya, al-Nabek, al-Zabadani, Aleppo and Homs.