Commander: No Iranian Basij, IRGC Forces in Iraq, Syria

“As said before, Basij and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) play an advisory role in the resistance fronts and they are transferring their experiences to the fighters and this need is felt more in Syria and less in Iraq,” Naqdi said in an interview with Iran’s state-run TV on Sunday night.

“We help the two countries at the request of their armies and we are just transferring our experience, but haven’t sent any forces to these states,” he reiterated.

Naqdi, meantime, said that there are many Basiji and IRGC forces who have persistently demanded to be deployed in Iraq and Syria to defend the Shiites’ holy shrines and the Iraqi and Syrian people against the terrorists, but they have not been dispatched to these countries.

In relevant remarks earlier this month, Lieutenant Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Brigadier General Hossein Salami underlined the IRGC’s firm decision to keep its military advisors in Syria until gaining final victory against the terrorist groups and liberate all Syrian territories.

“The operations (in Syria) have been successful so far and God willing, they will continue and other successes will also follow,” Salami told FNA.

“The main goal is setting the Syrian nation free from the hands of the terrorists and this will continue in any form until attainment of proper results,” he added.

Salami also underscored that the IRGC has not changed the method of its presence in Syria which has earlier been described as an advisory role.

Iran and Hezbollah have been helping the Syrian army and popular forces in retaking control over the country’s towns back from the terrorists.

The Iranian officials have always emphasized that it has not deployed forces in Syria and its presence in the friendly Arab country is limited to a counseling role.

But Hezbollah resistance force sent its fighters to Northern Syria to help the country’s army and popular forces take back the strategic province of Aleppo from the terrorist groups, including the al-Nusra Front and ISIL.