John, Iran’s long history of havoc and destruction inside Syria is felt deeply by many Syrians. Its proxy militias have terrorized civilians and led the ground assaults in support of Bashar al-Assad’s forces at some of the most crucial battles throughout the conflict. And Qassem Soleimani was the murderous mastermind behind much of the misery in the region. As head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds forces, Soleimani directed countless attacks against U.S. forces, and has fueled Assad’s retaking of territory in Syria. Here are Soleimani’s worst of the worst: - Creating war criminals. Soleimani recruited, trained, and deployed militia fighters from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan who carried out some of the worst human rights abuses against Syrians, including besieging civilians in Aleppo in 2016.
- Killing U.S. troops. According to the State Department, Iranian proxies have killed 603 U.S. troops since 2003, including through explosively formed penetrators (EFP), other improvised explosive devices (IED), improvised rocket-assisted munitions (IRAM), rockets, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades (RPG), small-arms, sniper, and other attacks.
- Enlisting Russia. In July 2015, with Syria map in hand, Soleimani helped convince President Putin to intervene to ensure Assad remained in power. Russia began its bombing campaign three months later against hospitals, schools, markets, and other civilian targets.
- Propping up extremist fighters. According to the White House, 80 percent of Assad’s fighters on the ground are comprised of Iran-backed militia fighters. Iran also financially supports Hezbollah fighters to stay in Syria through contributing $100 million dollars a year to the terrorist organization. Soleimani also attempted to organize Sunni extremist fighters in Syria to fight the American troops.
As U.S. officials in Congress and the Administration brace for Iran’s response and plan their next steps, AFS will be working hard to ensure they put the safety and security of civilians in Syria, Iraq, and throughout the region front and center. Thank you for your continued commitment to stopping human rights abusers in Syria. Sincerely, Team AFS | |
