Iranian killed in Iraq subject of 2009 controversy
An Iranian killed in Iraq was incorrectly labelled a Lebanese Hezbollah commander by activists during the 2009 election protests, and some news reports of his death still contain the error.
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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.