Iran Military Chief Asks Iraq to Hand Over Terrorists

Date: 11 September 2018 - 22:25

News ID: ۵۷۲۹۲

TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- The head of Iran's armed forces demanded on Tuesday authorities in neighboring Iraq hand over armed terrorists stationed there and close their bases, according to a report by the Fars news agency.
Major General Muhammad Baqeri was quoted three days after the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) fired seven missiles at the base of a terrorist group in northern Iraq, killing at least 11 key members.
"The government of Iraq and the Kurdistan authorities should not allow existence of such bases in their territories and should hand over these separatist terrorists to Iran," Baqeri said, according to Fars.
"If they cannot hand them over, then they should expel them ... It is Iran's right to defend itself."
Iranian missiles hit the headquarters of the so-called Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), the IRGC said on Sunday in a statement.
Saudi Arabia is funding anti-Iran armed groups in the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan.
"Provoked by some regional countries and America ... these separatist terrorists carried out some operations inside Iran ... such measures are unacceptable for Iran," Baqeri said.
"The authorities of Iraq's Kurdistan had repeatedly tried to stop them but the group was provoked by others."
Riyadh backed President Donald Trump's decision in May to pull the United States out from a 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran and to reimpose sanctions on Tehran.