Tehran, 02 September (H.S.): Three fighters belonging to Iran’s paramilitary Basij force were killed in US strikes carried out a day earlier on Lavand Island, a strategically and economically important Iranian territory. At least 18 military personnel and civilians were killed in the overnight US airstrikes.

According to an Al Jazeera report quoting an Iranian official, four people were killed at a wedding party in Kohestak, while seven people lost their lives in Khuzestan province. Four members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed in Kermanshah, while three Basij fighters were killed on Lavand Island.

The paramilitary Basij force is controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and includes civilians among its members. The force is estimated to have around 4,50,000 fighters. Its members are often deployed on the front lines during protests. In recent years, the Basij has played a major role in suppressing uprisings against the government. In March 2026, Israel killed the organisation’s senior commander, Gholamreza Soleimani.

The Basij is one of the five branches of the IRGC. It was established in November 1979 by Iran’s then-Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The force played a brutal role in suppressing the 2009 election protests and the more recent “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement. It also functions as a morality-policing force in public places and universities, enforcing Islamic dress codes, including the hijab, as well as strict regulations. The force also operates a propaganda apparatus aimed at promoting radical Islamic ideology and legitimising clerical rule throughout Iranian society and the education system.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar