The
Followers of Zainab Brigade (لواء زينبیون,
Liwa Zainebiyoun or
Liwa Zainabiyoon) is a pro-government brigade fighting in Syria composed of
Shia Pakistanis.
[4][5] It draws recruits from Shia Pakistanis living in
Iran, Shia
Hazara refugees living in
Pakistan,
[5] and native Shia of
Parachinar and
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
[1] It was formed and trained by the
Iranian Revolutionary Guards and operates under their command.
[5] Initially tasked with defending the
Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque,
[6][7] it has since entered frontlines across Syria.
[1] Its dead are buried primarily in Iran.
[5][7]
Pakistanis have been fighting in Syria since 2013.
[6] They originally fought in the Afghan
Liwa Fatemiyoun, and only became numerous enough to warrant a distinct brigade in early 2015.
[1]Like other Shia foreign brigades in Syria, it is funded, trained, and overseen by the
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
[3][8] Its official purpose is to defend the
Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque (the shrine of
Zaynab bint Ali, sister of
Imam Hussain and granddaughter of
Mohammed) and other Shia holy sites in Syria.
[6] It operates primarily in
Damascus defending these holy sites. However, since 2015, it has also engaged in offensive action around
Daraa[5][9] and
Aleppo, along with other foreign Shia fighters.
[1]