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Sayed Hassan Mortazavi, the former commander of the Fatemiyoun Brigade of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), recenty attended an Ashura ceremony organized by Shi'ite mourners at a mosque west of Kabul. Fatemiyoun Brigade is known for deploying child soldiers from Afghanistan in the wars in the Middle East.
According to Afghan researcher Azizullah Sanjar, who posted it, the image shows former Fatemiyoun Brigade commander Sayed Hassan Mortazavi and Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iranian ambassador to Kabul.
The Ashura ceremony took place on the Muharram 9, or July 14, 2024, at the Al-Zahara Mosque in Kabul., A Sanjar tweeted in Dari: "After the fall of the government of Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic [of Iran] has been trying to establish intelligence relations with the Taliban, and they are gradually trying to replace the Revolutionary Guard Corps employees in the Iranian Embassy and consulates in Afghanistan."
According to Afghan researcher Azizullah Sanjar, this photo shows former commander of the Fatemiyoun Brigade of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Sayed Hassan Mortazavi (third from right) at an Ashura ceremony organized by Shi'ite mourners at a mosque west of Kabul. In the center is Iranian ambassador to Kabul Hassan Kazemi Qomi. The three men in white turbans are Afghan Shi'ite religious scholars.
In a July 15, 2024 post, Afghan Taliban's Deputy Minister of Urban Affairs Sheikh Madar Ali Karimi published photos from the ceremony on his Twitter account in which Karimi himself can be seen along with Afghan Shi'ite scholars and Hassan Kazemi Qomi and others.
On his Facebook page, Karimi published a part of the speech he gave at the Al-Zahra Mosque. The Taliban minister assured the Shi'ite community leaders that security measures will be provided to the community, stating: "We do not and will not allow anyone or any power to create obstacles for Shias in their religious rituals."
On April 26, Sameer Bedrud, a former Afghan diplomat, said on a program with Amu TV that Iranian Ambassador to Kabul Hassan Kazemi Qomi is not an "Iranian Foreign Ministry person" but "a military person and represents the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps."
In a July 18 Dari-language report, Afghanistan International warned that Al-Qaeda commander Saif Al-Adl met with Iranian military leaders in Tehran, saying: "This was the first meeting of the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps [Esmail Qaani] with the leader of Al-Qaeda and senior representatives of the Taliban in Tehran."
The report cited an assessment of the United Front of Afghanistan, a U.S.-based organization led by General Sami Sadat of Afghan Army, who is now based in the U.S. The report noted that at the meeting it was agreed that "Iran is willing to pay the costs of Al-Qaeda's activities in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Esmail Qaani said that their common goal is to expel America from the Middle East."
Following are photos shared by the Taliban minister Sheikh Madar Ali Karimi:
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