Iranian killed in Iraq subject of 2009 controversy

An Iranian volunteer who was killed in Iraq fighting alongside Iraqi forces against the Islamic State (IS) had been entangled in controversy over the post-2009 election protests and the subsequent crackdown when he was incorrectly labeled by opposition activists as a Lebanese Hezbollah commander.

Mehdi Noroozi, a Basij Forces member from Iran’s Kermanshah region who, according to the Iranian media, later “held numerous positions defending the Islamic system,” was killed Jan. 10 in Samarra, a city north of Baghdad that has been the scene of heavy fighting between IS and Iraqi forces backed by militias with close ties to Tehran.

Iranian news agencies reported that Noroozi was “martyred defending the Imam Askari Shrine and confronting the takfiri terrorists of [IS].” While a majority-Sunni town, Samarra is home to the important Shiite shrine. When al-Qaeda terrorists blew up the dome of the mosque in 2006, it unleashed a wave of sectarian killings.

When pictures of Noroozi surfaced online, some recognized him from his role in the post-2009 election unrest. There are a number of photos of Noroozi on the streets during the violent Ashoura protests and also attacking the campaign offices of Reformist presidential candidate Mir Hussein Mousavi. In the pictures, Noroozi can be seen along with other plainclothes officers with a walkie-talkie in his hand, and it is clear he is playing a leading role.