Bodies of Iraqis killed in Syria received in Baghdad

A number of bodies of members of Iraqi militias fighting in Syria alongside the regime were received in Baghdad international airport on Tuesday, Iraqi security sources told The New Arab.

The Iraqis had reportedly been killed during battles with Syrian opposition forces in rural Damascus.

A number of Iraqi armed militias funded by Iran have been fighting in support of the Syrian regime, notably the Brigades of Imam Ali and the League of Righteousness , since former Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki facilitated the militias' intervention in the conflict.

According to local Iraqi reports, around 1,200 Iraqis have been killed fighting with militias in Syria since 2013

A security official for Baghdad International Airport told The New Arab that a civilian plane belonging to Syria Airlines transported the bodies to Iraq, accompanied by a representative of the Syrian army.

The dead included senior commanders Abu al-Fadl and Abu Haider al-Nazari.

Following the arrival of the bodies the road to the airport was closed for around 15 minutes in order to make way for the convoy carrying the coffins, which was accompanied by a crowd of civilian supporters chanting religious slogans.