Several members of the IS (“Islamic state” terrorist group) have been arrested in western Iran, a senior Iranian military official said.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the intelligence ministry have arrested several teams linked to the IS in the past two years in the western Kermanshah province, bordering with Iraq, Brigadier General Bahman Reihani, commander of the IRGC in the province said, Iran’s ILNA news agency reported.
Reihani clarified that the activities of the detained people were to mainly recruit members for the group and dispatching them to other countries.
He added that for instance recently members of an IS-linked team which had military training, were arrested in the province, explaining that military jackets and equipment as well as bombs were seized from the group.
However the Iranian commander made it clear that there is no security problem in the country.
The IRGC commander also said that several PJAK- the Iranian wing of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)- teams were destroyed in the region by the IRGC in recent months.
Reihani underlined that all security forces in the country, particularly those deployed at the borders, are fully prepared to meet any threat, ensuring that there is no serious problem at Iranian borders.
Iranian officials have warned in numerous occasions that the IS group will receive a crushing response if they try to approach the borders of the Islamic Republic.
Early in November Mahmoud Alavi, Iran’s intelligence minister said that at least 20 people aiming to join the IS in Syria and Iraq were detained near the Iranian borders.
He said a large terrorist network was neutralized in the country’s eastern part, while ten members of terrorist groups were arrested in the provinces of Golestan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Mazandaran and Tehran.
trend.az
