IRGC
Brig. Gen. Majid Sanei and 2nd LT Moslem Nasr were killed in Aleppo
in the past 24 hours. Sanei is the third IRGC general officer killed in action
during the Aleppo offensives. LT Nasr was deployed with IRGC’s elite 33rd
al-Mahdi Airborne Brigade, which already had another KIA in Aleppo operation last week.
Top photo:
IRGC Brig. Gen. Majid Sanei, killed in action in Aleppo on 27 October
Bottom
photo: IRGC 2nd LT Moslem Nasr, killed in action in Aleppo on 27
October
Iranian
media reported another 3 IRGC servicemen were killed in Syria: Rauf Amjadi,
Haidar Nouri Rostami and Jabbar Araghi. No military ranks were given. Social
media looking at the Iranian KIA in Syria put the number of known KIAs since the 7
October offensive at 30. (@dudi_cohen)
Almost
all IRGC servicemen killed in the past 2.5 weeks were deployed near Aleppo, where
the IRGC-Quds Force is leading a coalition of the Lebanese Hezbollah and Afghan,
Pakistani and other foreign Shia militia forces and government troops to isolate
and retake parts of the city under the opposition control. The pro-regime
forces, under the command of Gen. Soleimani, supported by Russian air power, have launched offensives in the
south of the city against the opposition forces, and to the east against ISIL. There
are no indications, however, if they could isolate Aleppo anytime soon.
Top photo: IRGC’s Rauf Amjadi killed in action in Syria
Bottom photo: Funeral procession for IRGC’s Haidar Nouri Rostami
Photo credit: Twitter
Fars News Agency reported today that two IRGC servicemen were killed today south of the Syrian city of Aleppo. The news agency gave the names of the soldiers killed in action as Mostafa Sadrzadeh (pictured below with Gen. Soleimani) and Milad Mostafavi. Fars did not give their ranks.
Yesterday, an IRGC spokesman had confirmed the death of eight servicemen also near Aleppo, but social media reports had put the number of KIA at 15. With two more KIA reported today, the total number of Iranian casualties in Syria in the past 48 hours has now risen to at least 10, and as many as 17, the most in more than four years of conflict.
In the past, a number of senior officers, including general officers of the Quds Force, who were deployed to Syria as advisers, were killed in action. This month the IRGC Ground Force reportedly deployed some 2,000 troops to Syria, with younger and lower-ranked servicemen being killed in action.
An image of Mostafa Sadrzadeh and Gen. Soleimani taken in Syria. The date and exact location unknown. (Mashreghnews)
IRGC announced today that eight Iranian servicemen were killed in the past 24 hours in Syria. Fars News Agency quoted Ramezan Sharif, a spokesman for the IRGC, as saying that IRGC members Abdollah Bagheri and Amin Karimi and six other unnamed servicemen were killed in Syria yesterday and today, without giving their ranks. Reports in social media had indicated that actually 15 IRGC serviceman were killed near Aleppo, but IRGC spokesman denied those reports, saying only eight were killed.
Abdollah Bagheri, 33, one of the IRGC servicemen killed in action, was identified as the former bodyguard of former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The photos in social media show Ahmadinejad at the late Bagheri’s house saying condolences to his family.
Iran was reported to have deployed some 2,000 IRGC Ground Force troops to Syria after the start of the Russian involvement in the country’s civil war on 30 September. They have joined hundreds of Quds Force advisers and specialists already in Syria. The introduction of ground troops into the conflict has changed Iran’s strategy of maintaining a small footprint of advisers to a limited deployment of ground forces directly involved in the conflict.
15 servicemen killed in action, or eight as IRGC says, is the largest number of Iranian casualties in a 24-hour period in more than 4 years of conflict in Syria.
Photo credit: Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with the family of Abdollah Bagheri, his former bodyguard killed in action in Syria; Tehran, 23 October 2015
Russian-supported offensive by the Syrian army and its militia backed by the Quds Force and IRGC troops, the Hezbollah and other foreign Shia fighters began on Friday to retake territory around Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, Reuters reported.
The Aleppo campaign is concentrated so far to clear rebel areas south of Aleppo. The city itself, which is home to 2 million people, is divided between government forces and rebels. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the coalition had captured three villages amid fierce fighting. Coalition troops are also attempting to advance to the east of Aleppo towards Kweires military airport to break a siege on the base. (Reuters, 17 October)
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said the army captured the village of Huwaija on the way to Kweires. The Observatory said intense fighting in Huwaija and several other villages nearby is taking place.
Meanwhile, the pro-government coalition continues countering rebel forces in provinces of Hama, Idlib, Latakia and areas north of Homs City. The Observatory reported heavy Russian bombardment around Homs City. The Observatory said 72 people, including 31 women and children, were killed in the past 48 hours in the assault in Homs. File photo: The city of Aleppo; 29 July 2015 (George Ourfalian/AFP)
Major Shift in Strategy from Advisers to Boots on the Ground
Iran has sent 1,500 troop into northern and central Syria in the first such deployment in the country’s civil war, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday. The Guardian, quoting western diplomats, reports up to 2,000 Iranian ground forces are deployed. This is a major shift in Iranian strategy in Syria from a small advisory footprint to boots on the ground.
AP said the Iranian troop, assumed to be IRGC Ground Force, will join the Syrian security forces and fighters from the Hezbollah and other foreign Shia militia groups to launch new offensives against the opposition backed by Russian air power. Russia began its airstrikes in Syria on 30 September.
AP added that the Iranian troops began arriving in Syria about two weeks ago, after the Russian airstrikes began, and have accelerated in recent days. They were arriving at Damascus airport and transported to a military base in the coastal town of Latakia from where they were deployed on the ground, mainly in the northern provinces of Idlib and Aleppo. (AP, 14 October)
NBC quoted senior U.S. defense and military officials on Wednesday as saying a large number of Iranian ground forces and Hezbollah fighters are positioning themselves for a major assault in Aleppo, Syria's largest city. The officials said the operation is being coordinated by the Russians who would airstrikes in support of the Syrian army, Iranian and Hezbollah forces against rebels and militant fighters who control large sections of Aleppo. (NBC News, 14 October)
AP also quoted an informed source that the Iranian troops are building up for a huge offensive against insurgents in Aleppo province in the coming days.
In the past week, three senior Iranian generals were killed in action in Syria.
Iran media imagery of the Sacred Defense Parade held in Tehran on 22SEP15, commemorating the onset of the Iran-Iraq War that took place 35 years ago.
IRGC-ASF Ghadr-H ("Intensity-H) medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM), using TEL variant with canted trailer mounting arm and four rearward compartments.
IRGC-ASF Ghadr-H ("Intensity-H) medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM), using TEL variant with straight trailer mounting arm and three rearward compartments.
IRGC-N Khalij Fars (“Persian Gulf”) anti-ship ballistic missile on launch control vehicle
Zelzal-1 ("Earthquake-1") heavy artillery rocket using launcher vehicle based on Mercedes-Benz 2631 Actros series platform.
NEZAJA Naze'at 10-H artillery rocket using using launcher vehicle based on Mercedes-Benz 2624 platform
IRGC-ASF 3rd Khordad ("Third of Khordad") TELAR equipped with Taer-2 ("Bird") type missiles
Note: The Third of Khordad refers to the date Khorramshar was liberated from Baathist-Iraqi military occupation during the Iran-Iraq War.
IRGC-ASF Tabas TELAR with Taer-2 ("Bird") type missiles
Note: Tabas is the historical site and Iranian military operation ("amaliat tabas") against the failed Operation Eagle Claw rescue mission of 1980.
IRIADF 5Yu24M transporter/transloader carrying an S-200VE/SA-5 Gammon 5V28 round
IRIADF 5T53M type transport containers, 5V28 type missile of S-200 type SAM system
IRGC Kupol 9K331M1 TLAR, Tor M1 (NATO: SA-15C Gauntlet) self-propelled surface-to-air missile (SAM) system
IRIADF Mersad ("Ambush") air defense system Ghader self-propelled SAM vehicle on Mercedes-Benz 2624 6x6 truck platform, with three Shahin ("Hawk") or Shalamche missiles.
Note: the town of Shalamche was one of the main sites of invasion into Iran during the Baathist-Iraqi launching of Iran-Iraq War.
IRIADF Mersad ("Ambush") air defense system Shalamche missiles and M192 type launcher, transported on Mercedes-Benz 2624 6x6 truck platform.
IRIADF MIM-23 HAWK type surface-to-air missile transport canisters
IRIADF Rapier surface-to-air missile system towed launcher
IRIADF Sepehr tactical vehicle equipped with top-mounted ZU-23-2 "Sergey" 23 mm anti- aircraft twin-barreled autocannon
IRGC-GF T-72S main battle tank, of a type recently provided to Iraq military forces in the war against ISIL
NEZAJA FV4204 Chieftain Mk 5 ARV Armored Recovery Vehicle
IRIAF Qassed ("Messenger") type electro-optically guided 2000 lb bomb
IRIAF "Cruise Missile" land attack cruise missile (LACM)
Nasr AGM variant and Fakur-90 AAM
IRIAF Asre-67 air-to-ground missile
NEZAJA special ground forces equipped with Misagh ("Covenant") type MANPADS, aboard Banihashem ATV 500s
NEZAJA special ground forces equipped with 9M113 Konkurs (“Contest”) anti-tank guided missile systems
NEZAJA Toyota Land Cruiser (J70) fitted with Moharram 6-barrel 12.7 mm Gatling-type machine gun
Arab-Iranian Tribal Basij members from Khuzestan province
Baluch-Iranian Tribal Basij members from Sistan and Baluchistan province
Qashqai-Iranian Tribal Basij members from southern or central Iran
Front row, left to right: Major General Ataollah Salehi, Major General Seyed Hassan Firuzabadi, President Hassan Rouhani, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan and Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari.
Foreign military observers present at Sacred Defense Parade 2015 in Tehran
IRIB VIDEOS:
Photos: Islamic Republic News Agency, Majid Haghdoust and Hossein Razaqnejad at Mehr News Agency, Meghdad Madadi at Tasnim News Agency, Mohammad Hossein Velayati at Fars News Agency
Following rumors this week of "company-sized" Iranian tank contingent taking part in the Battle of Tikrit, a Reuters photograph published today has captured imagery of what is in all likelihood an IRGC-GF supplied T-72S.
The tank seen above is clearly distinguishable from Iraqi Army T-72M1 type MBTs by the fitments for Kontakt-1 ERA tiles (removed on this example), turret side-mounted smoke grenade canisters and IRGC-GF type camouflage pattern.
Commentary: IRGC-QF tactics developed in the Syrian theater of war make use of mixed armor and infantry in the assault role, so evidently Iranian military tacticians have seen the need in Iraq for application of armor providing direct fire support for Iran-led coalition forces.
If it is confirmed that Iraqi Shia militia forces-- such as Kata'ib Hizbullah-- are now operating Iranian-supplied T-72 main battle tanks, this implies Iranian training, and a significant increase in combat power for elements of Iran-led coalition forces waging war against ISIL and Al-Qaeda linked armed groups.
Iran media imagery from phase two of Great Prophet 9 exercise:
IRGC-GF tactical unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) equipped with PKM type 7.62mm machine gun, advanced optics and thermal camera, with claimed effective operational range of 5-7 km.
IRGC-GF battlefield surveillance and management unmanned ground vehicle
IRGC-GF ARIO-H762 Intelligent Surveillance & Remotely Controlled Weapon System positions
Detail of IRGC-GF ARIO-H762
IRGC-GF Asefah 23 mm, 3-barrel Gatling-type rotary cannon CIWS
IRGC-GF marksman in ghillie suit, armed with Steyr HS.50 type anti-material rifle
IRGC-GF rifleman equipped with updated DIO S-5.56 assault rifle
IRGC-GF SPG-9 entrenched, fortified "pop-up" position, possibly related to Iranian "multi-cellular wall" fortification system publicized during Great Prophet 9 exercise
Detail of IRGC-GF SPG-9 "pop-up" position, emerging from concealment
IRGC-GF ZU-23-2 23 mm anti- aircraft twin-barreled autocannon position, possibly related "multi-cellular wall" fortification system.
Detail of entrenched, fortified IRGC-GF ZU-23-2 "pop-up" position
Detonation of Khaybar explosive, a newly developed type publicized during Great Prophet 9 exercise
Seldom seen IRIAF McDonnell Douglas RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft of 31st TRS (possibly from phase one)
