The Fatemiyoun Division is an Iran-supported militia group that has been active in Syria since mid-2013. Tehran to continues recruiting Afghans to serve in fatemiyoun Shiite brigades in Iran for its 'axis of resistance' operations in the Middle East.

The group's officially designated purpose, is the defense of the shrine of Zaynab bint Ali, and to fight "takfiri terrorists" in Syria, which would come to include the Islamic State (IS).It is funded, trained, and equipped by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and fights under the command of Iranian officers.Both the Fatemiyoun Brigade and the Iranian government downplay their relationship with one another, despite clear coordination and the brigade's operation under the auspices of the IRGC.Liwa Fatemiyoun is also closely associated with Hezbollah Afghanistan.

By late 2017, the unit was presumed to have numbered between 10,000 and 20,000 fighters.According to Zohair Mojahed, a cultural official in the Fatemiyoun Brigade, the group suffered 2,000 killed and 8,000 wounded up to the end of 2017 while fighting in Syria.However, other non-brigade sources have put the number of combat deaths lower.