Zainab Brigade

The Followers of Zainab Brigade (Arabic: لواء زينبیون‎‎ Liwa Zainebiyoun) is a pro-government brigade fighting in Syria composed of Shia Pakistanis. It draws recruits from Shia Hazara refugees living in Pakistan, Shia Pakistanis living in Iran, and native Shia of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Although Pakistanis have been fighting in Syria since November 2014, originally as part of the Afghan Liwa Fatemiyoun, they only became numerous enough to warrant a distinct brigade in early 2015.

It was formed and trained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and operates under their command. Initially tasked with defending the Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque, it has since entered the Battle of Aleppo, along with other foreign Shia fighters. Its dead are buried primarily in Iran.

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