12 Iran-affiliated militiamen killed in Syria

At least 12 Shia militiamen aligned with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have been reportedly killed in fighting with Syrian opposition fighters in northern Syria.

According to Iran’s Fars news agency on Sunday, nine members of the Pakistani Zeinabiyoun Brigade and three members of the Afghan Fatemiyoun militia were killed in clashes with opposition fighters in Aleppo.

The broadcaster, however, did not give details about when the militants were killed.

Fars said the the militiamen will be buried in Qom in southern Iran on Friday.

Iran has been a staunch supporter of Syria’s embattled Bashar al-Assad regime since 2011 when his forces violently suppressed a peaceful protest against his rule, unleashing a downward spiral of violence that killed hundreds of thousands of victims and displaced millions.