Iran: Spike in fighters killed in Syria

The number of Iranian fighters killed in Syria increased during October, reaching a record high since the uprising started in 2011 against President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime. State-sanctioned news outlets have reported the deaths of four Iranian commanders, including Abdollah Bagheri Niaraki, a former bodyguard of ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Tehran maintains that Iranians killed in Syria are military advisers only, though Iran has reportedly sent some 2,000 troops into Syria.