Shafaq News/ The Iraqi "militias" aligned with Tehran in Syriarepresent the "backbone" of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps(IRGC) power in Syria, a recent report by Independent Arabia says.
The report details several key Iraqi factions operating in Syria, each crucialin reinforcing Iran's military and strategic influence. Among these groups isKata'ib Hezbollah, which boasts an estimated 7,000 fighters and works closelywith Lebanon's Hezbollah, which has been present in Damascus since 2013.
Other significant factions are the Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Brigade, Harakatal-Nujaba, and Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq.
Additionally, Saraya Tala'a al-Khorasani, with around 5,000 armedfighters, operates both in Iraq and Syria, further strengthening theIranian-backed forces in the region.
Other factions mentioned in the report include Quwat Muhammad al-Baqir,Al-Imam al-Hussein Brigade, Dhulfiqar Brigade, and Faylaq al-Waad al-Sadiq.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that the total numberof foreign forces in Syria, including Iraqi, Afghan, and Pakistani fighters,reached around 15,000 in 2013. Meanwhile, the Jusoor Center has assessed thatapproximately 100,000 Iranian-backed fighters have participated in the Syrianconflict since 2012, operating under the banner of 70 military groupsdistributed across 50 bases and nearly 500 military points.
The map of Iranian-backed forces indicates the presence of between 28 to30 strategic sites in southern Syria, with a brigade protecting sensitivestorage facilities. The Syrian Observatory also documents 55 bases andapproximately 515 military points spread across Deir ez-Zor, Bukamal, andMayadin in eastern Syria, the deserts and countryside of Homs near theSyrian-Lebanese border, rural Aleppo, as well as southern Damascus, Daraa, andQuneitra, in addition to the Sayyidah Zaynab area and its surroundings near thecapital.