# How FRANCE 24 traced Tehran-backed Afghan fighters from Syria to southeastern Iran

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/how-france-24-traced-tehran-backed-afghan-fighters-from-syria-to-southeastern-iran/
- Published: 2026-11-12T16:03:26+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-13T02:40:10+00:00
- Original publisher: France 24 (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20261112-iran-afghan-fatemiyoun-fighters-syria-baluchistan
- Topics: Europe, Government, Middle East, Politics, World

## Key points

- Evidence places some Fatemiyoun fighters within Iran’s IRGC ranks.
- A video suggests fighters were patrolling Iran’s south-east.
- Their movements became unclear after Assad’s government fell.

## Summary

FRANCE 24 traced signs of Iran-backed Afghan Fatemiyoun fighters in Iran, including evidence linking some to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a video suggesting their deployment in the south-east. The findings offer clues about the militia’s whereabouts after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024 and the IRGC’s withdrawal from Syria.

The Fatemiyoun, a Shia militia recruited mainly from Afghan communities, fought for Assad during Syria’s civil war; estimates of its size range from 8,000 to 50,000, and around 2,000 members were killed. Funeral images, memorials and IRGC-affiliated reports linked some fighters killed in US-Israeli airstrikes in Iran in March 2026 to the group, including a former Syria fighter and an IRGC lieutenant colonel. A video published in September showed at least 13 armed men Haalvsh identified as Fatemiyoun fighters patrolling mountainous terrain in Sistan and Baluchistan, near Afghanistan and Pakistan.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.