Iran Exploiting Economic Crisis to Recruit Syrians to its Militias

Iran Exploiting Economic Crisis to Recruit Syrians to its Militias

A rights group said Iran was exploiting the economic crisis in Syria to entrench itself in areas west of the Euphrates River, Aleppo countryside and areas between the capital, Damascus, and the Lebanese border.

Tehran was seeking to recruit youths to its militias, added the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, revealing that Iranian militias west of the Euphrates now boast some 25,000 members, including some 10,000 Syrians.

It said that pro-Iran militias had brought in reinforcements to the area on March 2. Three buses had also arrived there from Iraq. The passengers were transported to the headquarters of the Sayyid al-Shuhada militia in the Alboukamal countryside on the Syrian-Iraqi border.

Coinciding with the arrival of the reinforcements, the militants carried out military trainings last month in the Deir Ezzor region, which is close to the border with Iraq.

In late March, a new weapons shipment headed to the militias and arriving from Iraq was spotted in the al-Mayadeen region. The weapons were concealed in a fruit and vegetable shipment. The arms were unloaded in the al-Mazare region, which is the largest militant hub in al-Mayadeen. The pro-Iran militants stored the weapons in tunnels that had been dug up by ISIS when it controlled the