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Iran preparing to dispatch snipers, commandos to Syria
[IsraelTimes] As Russia announces pullout, Tehran says it is training teams of ‘military advisers’ to be deployed abroadIran signaled that it was training commandos and snipers to send to Syria, days after Russia announced it was pulling most of its troops out of the country to allow a diplomatic process to take hold. Iran, which said it would also send the troops to Iraq, characterized them as "military advisers." General Ali Arasteh, deputy chief liaison of the Iranian Army’s Ground Force, told news hounds in Tehran that the first group was undergoing preparation and may be sent soon, according to the semi-official Fars news website on Wednesday. "At some point we might decide to use our commandos and snipers as military advisers in Iraq and Syria," he said. The Tasnim news site, regarded as close to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, reported Wednesday that the first contingent of "rapid reaction" commandos and snipers had attended a ceremony to mark the end of a two-month intensive course training with an Iranian-made sniper rifle. Iran has been backing Syrian  Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad Light of the Alawites... in the Syrian civil war, providing troops, training, logistical support and cash. Support from Russia and Lebanese terror group Hezbollah has also been key to helping Assad maintain power during a civil war that has stretched on for five years, but this week the Kremlin announced it would pull much of its force out of Syria. Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy group, denied reports Wednesday that it was also pulling out of the country. "False messages have been disseminated about the partial withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters" from Syria, a Hezbollah official told Russian news agency RIA Novosti. Last week, General Qassem Soleimani, who commands the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, said his force would continue operating outside Iran’s borders. The Quds force is responsible for overseas military and clandestine operations. Posted by: trailing wife 2016-03-18 |
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