Friday, October 9, 2015

Report: Senior Iranian general killed in Syria

(AP) Iranian officials say a senior commander in the country's powerful Revolutionary Guard who was killed in Syria was a key figure in the fight against terrorism.

Lawmaker Ismail Kowsari, a member of the parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, told the semi-official Fars news agency that Gen. Hossein Hamedani played a significant role in coordination between the Syrian army and Iranian-backed volunteer forces.

He said the commander was on a "temporary" advisory mission to Syria.

Hamedani was killed by the Islamic State group on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Aleppo Thursday night, Iranian state media announced Friday.