Syria – Liwa Zaynabiyoun
Liwa Zaynabiyoun (The Zaynabiyoun Brigade) is an Iranian proxy comprised of Pakistani Shia Muslims. It derives its name from the shrine of Sayyidah Zaynab where the granddaughter of Muhammad is buried near Damascus. The group was tasked with protecting the shrine and this served as the justification for its deployment in Syria.
It was formed and trained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to fight for the Assad regime in Syria and operates under their command.
The organization has used Facebook as a recruiting tool, with ads posted in 2015 seeking physically fit men, ages 18-35, promising several months of training, regular salaries, and death benefits for the fighters’ widows and children.
In a statement released after the IRGC recently declared “victory” against the Islamic State in Syria, the Zeynabiyoun Brigade vowed its readiness to fight anywhere the IRGC orders it.