By Maher Mustafa
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – After two years of service in one of the Iranian militias, Ali was promoted to the rank of regiment commander. However, others did not have to spend a long time till they were promoted to a higher rank. What he had accomplished after two years, took others just a few months.
The reason was Ali’s Syrian nationality and his different belief. He was promoted after attending many courses and serving for years. The others, as he calls them, who did not attend these courses, were of the Shiite faith.
Ali al-Jassem, a pseudonym for a Syrian leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), pointed out that there is “a discrimination on the basis of faith and nationality, and this discrimination affects military ranks and even salaries.”
He told North Press, the group he joined within the IRGC included militants of Lebanese nationality, who were promoted after two months of joining and their salaries were increased.
“The Lebanese and Iraqis, especially those who belong to the Shiite sect, had more power within the militia, attended meetings, and were able to make decisions, unlike the Syrians and Sunnis,” he added.
Iran is considered one of the most parties of the conflict in Syria that recruit militants. Iran recruits militants through taking advantage of Shiite sentiment to defend Shiite holy sites, or by financial temptations. It seeks to form armed militias on the ground, including several Arab and foreign nationalities with different faith and ideology.
The local Iranian-backed militias were formed initially under the pretext of supporting the Syrian government forces to fight against the Islamic State group (ISIS). However, Iran began to reveal its goals to create these militias based on ethnicity and sect to militarily control and change the demographics of the region and achieve its ambitions in establishing long-term military bases within Syrian territory.
Sectarian discrimination
“There is a discrimination even regarding salaries. Our salaries as local leaders do not reach $150, while those of Shiite faith, especially of non-Syrian nationalities, exceed $400, not to mention the bonuses and aid they receive,” al-Jassem said.
Iran attracts recruits either for religious and ideological motives among non-Sunni faith, or for financial gains, which is one of the most prominent reasons for joining the ranks of these militias.
The salaries of local militants can reach $100 and they work either as guards of military headquarters, or fight in the Syrian Desert, where ISIS sleeper cells are active.
The salaries of non-Syrian nationalities, such as Iraqis and Lebanese, differ from those of local militants, reaching about $500. They hold administrative positions, like managing military regiments and local militias.
Iran also recruits militants from Asia, especially Afghanistan, most from the Hazara, a Shiite ethnic minority in Afghanistan. Most of them are stateless or legally pursued. Iran requires them to fight in exchange for withdrawing prosecutions and resettlement.
Iran recruits and uses Afghan fighters in Syria by taking advantage of their sectarian fanaticism and tempting them with granting citizenship and money. The majority join the ranks of the Liwa Fatemiyoun, which are estimated at thousands according to a source within the militias.
There are more than 30 Iranian-backed militias in Syria, including Liwa Fatemiyoun, Liwa Zainebiyoun, Liwa al-Quds, Liwa Hashemiyoun, Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas, al-Nujaba, Badr Brigade, Kata’ib al-Imam Ali, Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq Brigade and Haras al-Qura (Village Guards).
These militias include militants from several nationalities, such as Syrians or from Arab and Asian nationalities. According to al-Jassem, all these do not have a decisive role on the ground. They are supervised by either military personnel from the IRGC or Iranian members who are the real decision-makers.
Activists in Deir ez-Zor noted that some local and Iraqi militants are gradually promoted and given administrative or military positions as a reward for their loyalty, but they do not make the decisions except over local militants.
In case local leaders gain popularity in the area where they operate, they are transferred to fight in the Syrian Desert for fear of mutiny in the future.
Varying wages
The salaries vary from one militia to another. The Afghani Liwa Fatemiyoun consists of about 3,500 militants, where the Syrian members receive salaries ranging between $100 and $200, while the Afghans receive $500.
As for the Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas, one of the first militias formed in Syria to protect the shrine of Sayyida Zainab, includes about 4,500 militants. Most of them are Iraqis and Lebanese of the Shiite faith, and receive monthly wages between $200 and $400.
Whereas the Liwa Zainebiyoun recruits militants of Pakistani nationality, where they have military powers that differ from other militias. They are granted houses and receive salaries that vary according to years of service, reaching $350.
Activists estimate the total number of militants within the ranks of the IRGC and Iranian-backed militias at more than 65,000.