IRGC Quds Force, foreign militia played key role in Iran killings, sources say
Iran International has obtained new details indicating that the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force and its allied proxy forces in the region played a central role in the killing of Iranian protesters on January 8 and 9.
According to the information, Afghanistan’s Fatemiyoun Brigade, Pakistan’s Zainebiyoun Brigade and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces carried out a significant part of the killings.
Hassan Hashemian, an expert on Arab affairs, told Iran International that Iranian authorities turned to foreign forces due to manpower shortages. He said the scale of protests across Iran exceeded the capacity of domestic security forces.
“The Islamic Republic is facing a shortage of forces, and the scope of Iran’s national uprising was so wide that internal forces could not cover it,” Hashemian said.
Hashemian said the reported scale of casualties points to the involvement of experienced militias. “The fact that between 12,000 and 20,000 people were killed within two days shows these groups were deployed specifically to kill. They have prior experience from Iraq and Syria.”
