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On April 24, 2024, a high-ranking delegation of Iranian security and military officials from Iraq-based militias arrived in Al-Bukamal city, east of Deir Ezzor in Syria, where they held a secret meeting, according to a pro-Syrian opposition news outlet.
Citing an unidentified "exclusive source" for its report, Deirezzor24 news outlet, which is focused on the Deir Al-Zour governorate, said that the high-level delegation comprised Iranian and Afghan military generals.[1]
While Iran recruits Afghans from Afghanistan and Afghan expatriates and refugees in Iran for its Fatemiyoun Brigade in Syria, the reference to "Afghan military generals" could also mean former military officers who left Afghanistan after the Taliban's capture of power in August 2021.[2]
In the recent past, media reports have indicated that Iran recruited former Afghan soldiers to fight for Russia in the Ukraine war. In December 2022, Afghan Taliban's Minister for Refugees and Repatriation Khalil Rahman Haqqani said Iran was sending former soldiers to fight in Ukraine, adding: "I have shared this issue with them (Iranian authorities); Afghans have previously been used in the fighting in Iraq and Syria, and it may have occurred in the war in Ukraine as well."[3]
According to the Deirezzor24 news report, the Iranian security and military delegation, which arrived from Iraqi territory in nine vehicles under heavy guard "held a meeting with the commanders of the Iran-backed militias within the security square at Al-Hagana roundabout" in Al-Bukamal.
The meeting was also attended by Lebanese commander Hajj Maysir, commanders Hajj Abu Ruqayyah and Hajj Malek, and Iraqi PMU operatives, the report said, adding that at the meeting, it was suggested that cash rewards should be offered to those giving information about collaborators working with the U.S.-led coalition.
According to the report, the Iranian-backed militias have increased their meetings and activities in Deir Ezzor, especially amid fears of Israeli responses after the recent escalation with Israel.
[1] April 24, 2024.
[2] MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1759, Contradicting Evidence, Afghan Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid Denies Reports That Iran Is Recruiting Afghans, Child Soldiers For Fatemiyoun Brigade, April 16, 2024.
[3] December 2, 2022.
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