TEHRAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that one of its seniorofficers had been killed in Syria while advising pro-government forces inan eastern town near the Iraqi border.

“Brigadier General Shahrokh Daipour … was martyred in the town of AlbuKamal in Syria during a mission to advise Syrian pro-government forces,”according to the Guards’ Sepah News.

The brief report did not give the circumstances of the officer’s death. Hewas described as a former unit commander who was wounded during the1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war before holding various positions involved withartillery.

Iran, along with Russia, is a key supporter of Syrian President Basharal-Assad. Tehran denies sending professional troops to fight in Iraq andSyria, saying it has only provided military advisors and organised brigadesmade up of volunteers from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

*‘45 IS militants killed’*

Iraq said on Saturday it had killed 45 militants from the IS group,including senior members, in an air strike in eastern Syria, the secondsuch operation in less than a month.

Iraqi F-16 fighter jets carried out a “successful strike targeting ameeting of Daesh [IS] leaders” on Friday in Hajin, in the Syrian provinceof Deir Ezzor, a military statement said.

Among those killed, it said, were a senior member of the militants’“ministry of war”, his deputy, a local commander and a media official.There was no independent confirmation. – APP/AFP