ISTANBUL

Five members of an Iran-backed militia were killed in war-torn Syria on Wednesday, according to Iran’s Mehr news agency.  

The agency said the five members of the Fatemiyoun Division, an Afghan Shia militia affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, were killed in clashes, but without specifying where the clashes took place.

Backed by Tehran, the Fatemiyoun Division (Liwa Fatemiyoun) is composed almost exclusively of Afghan Shia fighters.  

Iran is home to an estimated three million Afghans, many of whom have fled persecution and conflict in their home country.  

To date, roughly 2,400 Iranian soldiers have been killed in war-torn Syria, where they have fought alongside Assad regime forces since the conflict began in 2011.