Alwaght- Iran's senior military commander warned the Islamic Republic will continue defensive operations against separatist terror groups holed up near the country’s northwestern borders in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
The separatists, who are "backed by the US and other enemies," have been operating in the Iraqi Kurdistan region since the victory of Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri said on Saturday as cited by Iran's Tasnim news agency.
"Over the past several years, however, their based have turned into a complex [operating] against our national security with American support," he further underlined, noting that “currently, there are 1200 military bases in northern Iraq” with 3000 armed terrorists operating against us.
Israeli regime trained, sent terrorists to Iran
The top commander said on several instances the Israeli regime would handpick a number of these terrorists, and train them before dispatching them across the border to conduct terrorist and destabilizing activities.
"They were being used as terrorists for hire," Baqeri said, pointing out that "in effect, these (terrorist strongholds) were Zionists bases," and one of such bases in Erbil recently came under attack by the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution’s Guards Corps (IRGC).
He also pointed out that Iran has on countless occasions warned the Iraqi Kurdistan’s local authorities that it “will not tolerate the presence and bomb-making and military activities” of terrorist groups along its borders, insisting that “these operations and even bigger ones will continue as long as it takes” to flush out and disarm the terrorists.
Tehran has urged the Kurdish officials on many occasions to either disarm or expel the terror groups, General Baqeri further noted, adding that the failure of those officials to make good on their pledges has prompted Iran confront the outfits on its own as a self-defense measure.
The IRGC targeted the positions of the terrorist groups most recently earlier this month.
Earlier, the IRGC struck and demolished positions of the terrorist groups operating in Erbil back in May.
Also in September of last year, the IRGC launched a counterattack in northern Iraq, destroying four bases belonging to the foreign-backed terror groups.
US bases in Iraq under close Iranian watch
Elsewhere in his remarks, the top Iranian general said Iran continues to keep US bases across Iraq "under surveillance."
Citing a recent claim by American officials about the alleged downing of an Iranian drone over Erbil, Bagheri reiterated that "We know where the American bases are located” across Iraq “as well as the number of forces in them and the nature of their activities.”
He then warned, “Effective today, if [the Americans] take any action against our drones, we will certainly take responsive measures, and we reserve the right to respond to their recent action.”
Bagheri also said that Iran has notified its neighbors that "should any action be taken against our national security in any American bases in neighboring countries, Iran would surely retaliate against the headquarters [in question]."
