After the 9/11 attacks, the US declared the next decade as the “Age of Terrorism”; however, apparently, the Age protracted beyond the 2010s and 2020s after the US campaign on Iraq, major security issues, and its obligation to remain engaged in these matters. Washington ponders that entire Middle Eastern military-security equations are related, and thus, has selected a large area under the banner of the Great Middle East where Afghanistan is also included in the military-security geography, and US develops a 5-year special military strategy for the region.
Although, Afghanistan is, sometimes, linked to Centeral Asia and, other times, to South Asia, and most of the times, Afghans count Afghanistan distinct geography and calls it the “Heart of Asia”; however, considering the exposure of Afghanistan to security developments in the Middle East, the inclusion of Afghanistan in the Middle East, largely, is convincing.
Following the emergence of the ISIS group in the 2013s and 2014s, similar currents took shape in Afghanistan as well; however, the Afghan government and intelligence agencies of international partners positioned that the ISIS of the Middle East and black-flag currents were not linked or analogous to each other. Nevertheless, the explosion near to Israelis Embassy in New Delhi of India on January 29, 2021, where Israelis linked it to Iran and the Jaish-Ul-Hind group becomes accused of the incident, doubtful activities of Zainabiyoun Brigade in Pakistan, and apprehension of its five fighters, and last two weeks’ provocations against Afghan government in central highlands of Afghanistan indicate that even Middle Eastern anti-ISIS front currents have been expanded in the region and has emerged for the survival and interest of a religious ideology.
Fatemiyoun; from Syria to Afghanistan
Liwa Fatemiyoun or Fatimid Banner, dating back to the 1980s, was operating under the name of “Mohammad Forces” and “Abuzar Brigade” at the outset and was not completely dissolved from the military structure of the Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It has been protected and used in big goals, including the Iraq-Iran War, Afghan-USSR War, Civil War between Taliban and United Front (Northern Alliance), and survival of Bashar Al Assad Regime.
While the conflict was mitigating in Syria in 2019, the number of Afghan fighters in Liwa Fatemiyoun was reaching from 15000-20000 men. After the Trump Administration (2016-2020) declared the US troops withdrawal from Syria in 2019, Iran also reduced its military-intelligence presence in Syria; however, Iran has never returned its foreign proxy fighters to their homeland since the 1980s. Nevertheless, it has reduced their structure and organization or has sent them to another mission. The reason behind the approach is that the Iranian political system is largely unstable and is exposed to the influence of external factors.
Former Chief Spy of Afghanistan, Rahmatullah Nabil accept as true that 2500-3000 out of 20000 Fatemiyoun fighters returned to Afghanistan after 2019. Though, a prominent Western researcher on Afghanis matters, Antonio Giustozzi is certain of that the number is 4000, and, as his study finds, they are stationed in Afghanistan central highlands, Balkh and Herat provinces, where they pass the period of strategic stillness prior to commencement of a next mission.
Despite the fact that the Fatemiyoun commanders reside in the Kurdistan province of Iran for many years, the Banner, in 2013, was able to immediately recruit fresh fighters from among Afghan laborers, and pardoned and freed some others from Iranian prisons, and sent them to Syria. Once they received a 2-week military training in military camps of Bashar Al Assad Regime, they were deployed to various areas in order to, apparently, protect religious sites there. Russian trainers, especially Russian special forces and contract trainers of Russian Wagner Security Company were involved in training the fighters in those camps. Iranian military-intelligence commanders did not have confidence and faith in Fatemiyoun fighters because they had agreed to fight for material wages or as a result of coercion in exchange for pardoning the imprisonment. Except for special commanders, Fatemiyoun fighters were not allowed to attend the main bases of Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) located in Aleppo, Hama, Latakia, Damascus, and Homs cities of Syria; but they were stationed in small camps close to the religious sites of these cities. Moreover, Liwa Fatemiyoun members were often used in some military activities by Russian forces in exchange for money and without consultation with IRGC; however, this was a mission where causalities were higher than anticipated as Russian was using these fighters against US targets. Nonetheless, these secret ties paved the way for a new alliance between low-level Fatemiyoun fighters and Moscow, which is to be the Afghanistan War Front.
In early 2020, American media, quoting intelligence officials, reported that some fighters being active in Taliban-controlled/contested areas have killed American troops and attacked an American target in exchange for bounties from Russia. These attacks had mainly taken place in the Northern provinces of Afghanistan, neighboring Balkh, where, according to Giustozzi's study, most of the Fatemiyoun fighters reside there. Since 2014, Russian spies expanded their influence in these areas because Moscow was claiming that ISIS/Daesh fighters are in shift from East to North of Afghanistan, and follows the agenda to destabilize Russia.
Iran’s Proxy Groups in Region; From Two Addresses For Three Goals
IRGC present commander, EsmailQaani’s secret visit to Afghanistan’s central highlands in 2018 shows the depth of Iran influence and involvement in the country. Even so, the unity of Pakistani Zainabiyoun and Afghan Fatemiyoun fighters for the interest of Iran in Syria has created a new headache for the region. For now, Zainabiyoun fighters are positioned in Karachi City, Kurram Agency, Quetta, and Gilgit-Baltistan areas of Pakistan, where they have begun religious opposition to the Saudi-supported Salafi group and have involved in a physical clash there as well. The line of religious militants is not ended in Karachi as it is even reached the Indian cities, where the Jaish-Ul-Hind Shiite group has emerged and its first assault was near the Israeli embassy there.
Russia and Iran demand the US troops should withdraw from Afghanistan; however, Russia wants it to be provisionary and gradual. Iran, which is afraid of The Abraham Accords between Israelis and Arab countries and fears the expansion of Israelis spy web in Middle Eastern countries and, thus, considers its interests and influence exposed, would like to protect itself from Israelis threat through India, from Saudi threat through Pakistan and from US threat through Afghanistan. Hence, Jaish-Ul-Hind, Fatemiyoun, and Zainabiyoun groups are suitable tools for the purpose.
Joe Biden has already menaced Russia that he cannot forget the negligence of the Trump Administration towards Russia and will recompense it. This negligence was also included by the intelligence report that said “Russia secretly offered Afghan militants bounties to kill U.S. troops”. On the other hand, Biden’s Defense Secretary, Lloyd J. Austin has faith that US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan is premature and shall be based on the situation on the ground. Besides, NATO forces are stationed in the North of Afghanistan, near the traditional Russian border, where they will decide on their long-term presence in Afghanistan within the next 2 weeks. Russian, which trained the Fatemiyoun fighters with Russian weapons and equipment and has got remarkable influence inside the splinter Fatemiyoun fighters, has got a proper proxy tool in the sizzling market of the Afghan conflict.
Taliban, Fatemiyoun and Zainabiyoun
Iranian Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif still considers the Taliban as a terrorist group and reasons the murder of Iranian diplomats in Balkh province during the Taliban rule; however, he does not count them as enemy and has hosted their delegation twice in the last six months. Yet, the Taliban reckons Mohammad Forces of 1995, now Fatemiyoun, as an adversary because it had assassinated more than fifty Taliban fighters in Bamiyan and Herat provinces as revenge for the murder of Iranian diplomats in Balk in 1999. Iran makes effort to bring unity among Fatemiyoun and the Taliban and has told them that they and the Fatemiyoun pursue the same goal that “The US should withdraw the region”, and that this job will provide the opportunity for an Ideal (Islamic) government of Taliban. Conversely, the Taliban fears the cooperation and collaboration with Taliban since Saudi Arabia has already increased its pressure on Pakistan and even warned it that activities of Liwa Fatemiyoun fans, Zainabiyoun can deteriorate the situation in the big commercial city of Karachi in Pakistan, and thus, it will help juicing up the Chabahar Port of Iran. In the last one month only, Pakistan has detained five important members of Zainbaiyoun.
Conclusion
War is being privatized in the 21st century. With the help and support of Black Water, the United States used the technics that are considered a violation of international laws on war. Without any military-security agreement, Russia uses the Wagner Security Company as its proxy army to protect its interests in Syria and Libya. In his speech to IRGC commanders in 2016, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei instructed them “in order to percent war inside Iranian cities, they should fight beyond Iran’s border and keep the enemy involved in the war outside the border.”
In his interview with the Afghan Tolo News TV Channel in December 2020, Iranian Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif unequivocally supported the Fatemiyoun group and recommended the Afghan government that can better use the group for its survival. Apparently, Javad Zarif was referring to saving Bashar Al Assad Regime of Syria through Iran-backed proxy groups, including Fatemiyoun.
Looking at recent incidents and the emergence of new militant groups, Iran, now, conflicting its previous claim that it would not use religion as a tool and will not expand its political-religious ideology through militant groups fosters its traditional enmity with the US and Israel beyond the borders of Middle East, and in Central Asia, South Asia and Heart of Asia “Afghanistan” through indigenous proxy groups that have systematically returned to their homelands (Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India) directly from the Middle East, where all three traditional enemies of Iran, US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, have got strategic interests.