Iranian security forces, including the pro-government Basij militia, are trying to quell growing nationwide protests that erupted after a woman died in the custody of the morality police last week.
The Basij, formally known as the Organization for the Mobilization of the Oppressed, was created as a paramilitary volunteer militia by the founder of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1979.
The Basijis, most of whom stem from poor, rural backgrounds, are famed for their “human waves” attacks against Saddam Hussein’s troops in the 1980-88 war with Iraq, which were intended to overwhelm the defenders by the sheer weight of numbers and regardless of high casualties.
Source: IMFAT