IRGC Uses Drones, Rockets, Artillery in Retaliatory Attack

Terrorist Dens Dismantled

Date: 12 July 2019 - 21:52

News ID: ۶۸۰۲۶

TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) used drones and missiles to strike headquarters of a terrorist group near Iran’s border with neighboring Iraq’s Kurdistan region, the IRGC said in a statement Friday.
"A large number of terrorists were killed and wounded in the attacks that had started from Wednesday to target terrorist headquarters and their training camps” with rockets, drones and artillery, it said.
The full statement in Farsi said the strikes had taken place along the border. They were launched in retaliation for recent attacks by the terrorist group that martyred five IRGC members in northwest and western Iran.
"The Iraqi Kurdistan government is expected to take Iran’s warnings seriously and not allow terrorists to use its territory as a shelter to train, organize and endanger Iran’s sustainable security by carrying out terrorist attacks,” the statement said.
"The Guards ... will respond harshly to any aggression against Iran’s security.”
The statement said the targeted groups had tried to use "villagers as human shields" and asked the "noble people of Iraqi Kurdistan to distance themselves from the terrorist camps".
There are sporadic clashes in the area between Iranian security forces and terrorist groups based in neighboring Iraq, such PJAK which is linked to PKK terrorists in Turkey.
In September 2018 the IRGC launched a missile attack against the KDPI terrorist group’s headquarters in Koysinjaq, around 60 kilometers (35 miles) east of Arbil.
According to the KDPI that strike killed 15 and wounded around 30 others including the group’s secretary general and his predecessor.
The IRGC said the Wednesday strikes were partly in response to a deadly attack Tuesday against them in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan Province.
Sepahnews reported that three members of the IRGC were martyred and another wounded in an attack on one of their vehicles by "terrorists affiliated to global arrogance."
On Thursday the IRGC said they had killed five "terrorists" in clashes near the western border with Iraq.