Photo credit: Poster at the funeral of IRGC soldier Mohammad Hossein Mirdusti (Twitter/@dudi_cohen)
Sunday, November 1, 2015
October: Deadliest Month for Iranian Military in Syria
Photo credit: Poster at the funeral of IRGC soldier Mohammad Hossein Mirdusti (Twitter/@dudi_cohen)
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4 comments:
This monthly Iranian casualty figure during the Syrian conflict would actually be considered light when compared to American figures during the Iraq War, where American ground troops were actively engaged in counter-insurgency operations.
For a comparison, see:
http://icasualties.org/iraq/ByMonth.aspx
Not that I'm in any way minimizing casualties experienced by either American or Iranian military forces, nor am I in any way comparing the combat capabilities of the two respective armed forces. It's just that so much is being made of the Iranian casualty figures, particularly in the Western press, that a sense of perspective should be provided, IMO.
I agree
The Iranian military says it has only advisory role in Syria and it's not involved in combat mission. In October, the Iranian casualties spiked to 32, exponentially higher than its monthly casualties during its previous 4.5 years of military involvement in Syria. That's significant news.
Iraq War was a combat mission and not comparable to Iran's advisory role in Syria, that's why 32 Iranian KIAs in one month is so huge. You can of course argue that these high casualties are manifestation of a change in Iran's role from advisory to direct ground operation, which is also as newsworthy. That's the perspective that needs to be provided, IMO.
I don't know how big is a Iranian battalion but let's say it's 500 troops, 30 to 34 losses is 6 to 7%, that's not insignificant. If Iran sustains that level for a few months, you have a significant loss in leadership and probably start having a moral problem.
Long time reader, first time commenting.
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