(Wall Street Journal) Farnaz Fassihi, Jay Solomon and Sam Dagher - At the Amir Al-Momenin base 15 miles outside Tehran, Iranian forces are training Shiite militiamen from across the Arab world to do battle in Syria - showing the widening role of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria's war. Busloads of Shiite militiamen from Iraq, Syria and other Arab states have been arriving at the Iranian base in recent weeks for instruction in urban warfare and the teachings of Iran's clerics. The fighters "are told that the war in Syria is akin to [an] epic battle for Shiite Islam, and if they die they will be martyrs of the highest rank," says an Iranian military officer.
2013-09-16 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive