A senior
commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was killed
fighting Islamic State west of the Iraqi city of Mosul, the Tehran-based Tasnim
news
agency reported on Saturday.
It is the
first time Iran has announced the death of a senior commander during the
operations launched in October to drive the Islamist militants out of Mosul.
"Commander
Shaaban Nassiri was martyred in operations to free the area west of
Mosul," the Tasnim news agency quoted the Revolutionary Guards as saying.
The IRGC is
the main backer of the Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary force known as Popular
Mobilisation, fighting Islamic State west of Mosul.
Nassiri was
killed near Baaj, one of the last cities which remain under Islamic State
control, near the Syrian border, according to Mashregh, an Iranian news
website.
Baghdadi is
believed to be hiding in this region, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials.
Nassiri
fought in the Iran-Iran war of 1980-1988 and has been involved in the six-year
war in Syria, backing President Bashar al-Assad, according to Mashregh.
A general
from the Revolutionary Guards assumed the post of Iran's ambassador to Iraq in
April, in a sign of the key role the military force is playing in its
neighboring country.
Popular
Mobilisation on Friday announced the capture of the Sinjar military base, near
Baaj, moving its presence closer to the Syrian border.
Iraq's
Shi'ite-led government is aiming to control the border in coordination with the
Iranian-backed army of Assad.
Linking up
the two sides would give Assad a significant advantage in fighting the six-year
rebellion against his rule.
Iran has
provided military support to Assad since at least 2012, but initially did not
comment publicly on its role. But as the military support increased and Iranian
casualties rose, officials began to speak more openly.
An Iranian
official said late last year that more than 1,000 Iranians had been killed in
the Syrian civil war. These include a handful of senior commanders of the
Revolutionary Guards, according to Iranian media reports.
Iran has
helped to train and organize thousands of Shi'ite militia fighters from Iraq,
Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Syrian conflict. Fighters from Lebanon's
Hezbollah are also working closely with Iranian military commanders in Syria.
REUTERS*
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