The Afghan Fatemiyoun militia, affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, arrested two members of the National Defense militia on Wednesday in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor. The group is loyal to Syrian army forces and backed by Russia.
The correspondent for Al-Hal Net said: “The Fatemiyoun militia arrested both Hamidi al-Akl and Younes Hassoun from the National Defense, accusing them of photographing its headquarters in the Corniche area of the city of Mayadin while they were riding a motorcycle.”
The correspondent added that the city witnessed a military alert by both sides following the incident, along with the deployment of checkpoints, after which the Russian military police intervened as a mediator between the two sides.
For its part, the National Defense militia in the area demanded that the detainees be handed over to it, saying it is the only party authorized to hold them accountable, given that they belong to separate militias not listed in the records of the Syrian army forces, according to the correspondent.
Previously, in March, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps militia arrested a civilian in the city of Mayadin on charges of photographing its headquarters inside the electricity company as well, according to the available information.
It should be noted that Iranian militias deployed surveillance cameras in the cities of Mayadin and Al-Bukamal late last year to monitor civilians and prevent anyone from photographing their military positions in the area.
Iranian militias in Deir ez-Zor province are in a state of tension and extreme caution because of repeated airstrikes targeting their positions in the province. Each time, these strikes result in deaths, injuries, and the destruction of military vehicles. They have therefore been changing the locations of their forces and headquarters, redistributing their members, or moving them to sites close to Russian force positions or to the Syrian desert, in addition to removing their flags from their headquarters and positions to avoid these strikes.
The militias of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the militias loyal to it are deeply entrenched in several areas of Syria and are fighting alongside the Syrian army.
These militias come from Iran through Iraqi territory via Deir ez-Zor province, where Iraqi and Lebanese militias are heavily present and control wide areas.
Deir ez-Zor province in general, and the city of Al-Bukamal in particular, are of great importance to Iran, as they form the link between its militias deployed in Iraq and Syria, ensuring the arrival of military supplies through the Al-Bukamal–Al-Qaim crossing.
