Fatemiyoun Brigade

Liwa Fatemiyoun
لواء الفاطميون Participant in the Syrian Civil War
Liwa Fatemiyoun fighters during the Palmyra offensive (December 2016), showcasing their flag.
Active	November 2014–present
Ideology	Shia Islamism
Leaders	Ali Reza Tavassoli ("Abu Hamed Ali Sah Xakis") † Mostafa Sardarzadeh †
Headquarters	Mashhad, Iran
Area of operations	Daraa Governorate Idlib Governorate Aleppo Governorate Palmyra, Homs Governorate
Size	12,000-14,000(June 2016)
Allies	Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution Syrian Armed Forces Liwa Zainebiyoun National Defence Forces Hezbollah
Opponents	Free Syrian Army Islamic Front al-Nusra Front Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Syrian Democratic Forces
Battles and wars	Syrian Civil War 2015 Southern Syria offensive Northwestern Syria offensive (April–June 2015) Al-Ghab offensive (July–August 2015) Northwestern Syria offensive (October 2015) Aleppo offensive (October 2015) Northern Aleppo offensive (February 2016) Palmyra offensive (March 2016) 2016 Southern Aleppo campaign 2016 Aleppo summer campaign Aleppo offensive (October–November 2016) Aleppo offensive (November–December 2016) Palmyra offensive (December 2016) 2017 Hama offensive Syrian Desert campaign (May–July 2017) Central Syria campaign (2017) Eastern Syria campaign (September–December 2017) 2017 Abu Kamal offensive Battle of Khasham Rif Dimashq offensive (February 2018–present)

Ali Reza Tavassoli ("Abu Hamed Ali Sah Xakis") †

Syrian Civil War

Liwa Fatemiyoun (Arabic: لواء الفاطميون‎ Liwā’ al-Fāṭamiyūn, Persian/Dari:.لواء فاطمیون or لشکر فاطمیون), literally "Fatimid Banner", also known as Fatemiyoun Division, is an Afghan Shia militia formed in 2014 to fight in Syria on the side of the government. It is funded, trained, and equipped by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and fights under the command of Iranian officers. However, the group has denied direct Iranian government involvement in its activities. According to late deputy commander Sayed Hakim, the group numbers between 12,000-14,000 fighters. According to the Iranian government, the group has suffered 2,000 killed and 8,000 wounded in combat in Syria since its establishment.

The core of Liwaa Fatemiyoun is constituted of the fighters of the Shia militia group Muhammad Army (سپاه محمد (ص)) which was active during the Soviet war in Afghanistan and against the Taliban, until its collapse after the Invasion of Afghanistan, as well as the Abuzar Brigade, an all-Afghan Shia militia group who voluntarilly fought in the Iran-Iraq war. During the Iran–Iraq war, these fighters were stationed in the mountainous areas of Loolan and Navcheh in the northwestern Iran, as they had experience in mountain warfare and irregular warfare during the war against the Soviets.