Iran's military chief holds counter-terror talks in Damascus

DAMASCUS, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Baqeri arrived in Syria Sunday to hold counter-terror talks with Syrian and Iraqi military officials, local reports said.

Heading an Iranian military delegation, Bageri arrived in Damascus on Sunday morning.

The report said the visit of Bageri aims at developing the military defense cooperation and making consultations regarding counter-terror between Iran, Syria and Iraq.

His visit also included a tour to the areas where Iranian military advisors are located.

Throughout Syria's eight-year-long war, Iran has emerged as a key regional backer of the Syrian government as Iranian-backed forces aided the Syrian forces to retrieve key areas from foreign-backed rebels.