Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander killed in Syria

ALEPPO, Syria – On Tuesday, Iranian Fars News Agency reported that a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Colonel Abulfadel Sarlak was killed last Sunday in Syria and buried in his hometown Tehran province. Sarlak was killed in the countryside of Syria’s Aleppo Governorate by what the agency described as “extremist terrorists”. He was reportedly killed by an explosive device.

While Iranian media have not provided details of the colonel’s death, Iranian website Farda stated that Sarlak, who worked alongside Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force who was assassinated by a U.S. drone strike on 3 January 2020.

Although there have been reports that Iran has begun to reduce the size of its forces in Syria, the death of an IRGC commander such as Sarlak suggests that Iran continues to play an integral role in supporting the Syrian regime forces.

The total number of Iranian fighters killed in Syria is estimated to be around 2,000, according to the Iranian Martyr Foundation.