Tasnim� A senior commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) highlighted the root causes of the emergence of the Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) terrorist group in the Middle East and said the US and Israel have created the group to break up regional nations.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony of cadets on Tuesday, Lieutenant Commander of the IRIAF Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh offered his condolences over the martyrdom of Mohsen Hojaji, a military adviser recently killed by Daesh terrorists in Syria, and said with his bravery, the martyr demonstrated the true Islam in the face of Takfiri groups who claim to be Muslim.

�The Daesh Takfiri group, led by the US and the occupying Zionist regime (of Israel), is seeking to insecure the region and split it,� the commander said.

However, he added, the braveries of holy shrine defenders, like Martyr Hojaji, have prevented the enemies from reaching their sinister goals.

The shrine of Sayyida Zeinab, a sister of Imam Hossein (AS), the third Shiite Imam, is located in Damascus, Syria. Iranian military advisers have played a decisive role in the protection of the holy shrine against terrorist attacks.

Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh, currently controlling parts of it.

According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country�s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.

In the meantime, Iran has remained a close ally of Syria and supports its legitimate government in the face of foreign-backed militancy.