According to reports, it has been announced to a group of defenders of the shrine who are members of the Fatimiyoun Division (the division consisting of Iran-backed Afghans) and a group of Zaynabioun (Pakistani units) that they will probably stay in Syria after the termination of the conflict there, and in case they are willing, they can obtain residence permits and Syrian passports, which will include their family members as well.
It has been said that the Assad government has suggested to Iran to identify, experienced members of defenders of shrine from amongst the Fatimiyoun and Zaynabioun so that necessary arrangements can be made for their stay in Syria.
Also, Hezbollah has told the IRGC that it needs more human forces for reinforcing its battalions in Syria. The Lebanon-based Hezbollah commanders have reported to Qassem Suleimani that those forces trained under Iran have been more successful in conflicts, and it will be more fruitful to use them as units to be deployed in Syria.
What Iran and Assad’s government have not agreed upon yet is whether the abovementioned units should act as a subdivision of the Syrian army, or should its mission remain independent and act in coordination with the Syrian army. The Syrian government believes that these units must be part of the Syrian army, but the IRGC is against it, while emphasizing on their independence.
The forces backed by the Iranian regime in Syria are Shiites, but in Assad’s army, there are hundreds of Sunnites as well. And Iran, since the beginning of the war in Syria, has rigorously disagreed with combining Shiite and Sunnite units. Qassem Suleimani has more trust in Shiite units, using them more frequently in special operations.
Between 18 to 20 thousand, Afghan and Pakistani Shiite forces are fighting in Syrian with the support of the Iranian regime, and they have had many casualties.
