TEHRAN (Dispatches) – The martyrdom of two young Iranian border guards by armed terrorists in the northwestern province of West Azarbaijan has general a wave of grief.
Sasan Amirkhani, 19, and Ali Bayrami, 20, the two conscripts posted at border check-points in the province bordering Turkey, Iraq and Azerbaijan were martyred within 24 hours.
While there are conflicting reports about the circumstances of their martyrdom, sources say they were targeted by PJAK terrorists, an anti-Iran offshoot of the PKK terror group.
Bayrami, a resident of Parsabad-Moghan city in Ardabil province, was posted in West Azarbaijan as part of Urmia Border Regiment. He was martyred on Saturday afternoon while on duty.
Amirkhani, a resident of Ahar city in East Azarbaijan province, was guarding a border checkpoint in Sardasht, a city in West Azarbaijan. He was martyred on Friday night.
Military service which was recently extended from 21 months to 24 months is mandatory for all Iranian male citizens between 18 and 49.
They are deployed in different areas based on the requirements. Some of them are assigned the job of guarding the porous borders.
The martyrdoms have generated a wave of sympathy and sorrow. Some people expressed dismay that their loss of lives was overshadowed by the death of Iranian vocalist Muhammad Reza Shajarian.
Many social media users urged the government to take tough measures in safeguarding the country’s borders from PJAK and PKK terrorists.
The PKK and PJAK, the terror groups active in the border regions of Iran and Turkey, have carried out multiple attacks against the two countries in recent years.
This September, Tehran and Ankara agreed to coordinate efforts to fight the terrorist groups along their common borders.
A joint statement by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani said it was "incumbent upon both countries to fully utilize the existing cooperation mechanisms against the activities of PKK/PJAK elements.”