Iranian-backed Iraqi militias began recruiting fighters four days ago to help the Islamic Republic’s forces suppress protests in Iran.

Axar.az, citing Iran International, reports that so far, around 800 Iraqi Shiite militiamen have been deployed, almost all of them members of Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, Sayyid al-Shuhada, and the Badr Organization.

The information indicates that Iraqi government officials are aware of the mobilization of forces to assist Tehran.

The transfer of these fighters is said to be taking place through the Shalamcheh, Chazabeh, and Khosravi border crossings, under the cover of “pilgrimage trips to the holy shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad.”

In practice, the forces reportedly gather at a base linked to the Khamenei base in Ahvaz before being dispatched to various regions to take part in the violent crackdown on demonstrations.