IRGC reinforce West, Northwest borders to end separatist penetration

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The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps sent reinforcements to Iran's western and northern borders to prevent terrorists from neighboring Iraq from entering, a senior commander said on Friday, as the fight against separatist groups continues.

Brigadier-General Mohammad Pakpour, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Ground Forces, announced the deployment of armored units and a special unit of the IRGC Ground Forces along the country's western and northern borders.

General Pakpour said the move aims to “strengthen the units located on the border” and “prevent the infiltration of terrorists affiliated with separatist groups operating in Iraq's northern region.”

Pakpour stated that "following the movements of the separatist anti-Iranian terrorist groups in the northwest of the country and causing a state of insecurity in some areas, the IRGC ground forces, by strengthening the internal forces in the border area of the western and northwestern provinces of the country and taking advantage of the cooperation of the local people, will resolutely confront the factors causing insecurity in the region.”

Over the last two months, these terrorist organizations have sent troops and equipment to border cities in an attempt to incite instability and riots; some of their forces have also been detained.

The IRGC encouraged the Iraqi central government and the Iraqi Kurdistan region to fulfill their obligations to Iran and vow to take the right steps to secure their shared border on several occasions.

This comes after the Iraqi government took the decision to plan the redeployment of forces along the borders with Iran and Turkey as part of a series of decisions taken by Baghdad after the two countries recently carried attacks on the locations of armed groups within Iraqi soil.

Moreover, media reports' claims of Iran’s plans for a ground operation against terrorist groups in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq were dismissed by Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad, Mohammad Kazem Al-e Sadeq during an interview with Iranian Al-Alam TV.

The Ambassador said, “The issue of ground advance on Iraqi soil is not true and is basically out of question. We respect the sovereignty of Iraq and have done a lot for the stability and territorial unity of Iraq, for its people, and for the prosperity of that country,” adding that it would be impossible for a ground operation in Iraq to take place. 

According to Al-e Sadeq, Iran held talks with the officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government after they set up a joint security committee to address the issues.