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

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.