IRGC dismantles terror cells beyond borders: Commander

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has busted up to four anti-Islamic Republic terrorist groups beyond the Iranian border, a senior commander says.

Commander of the IRGC Ground Forces’ Quds Base Brigadier General Mohammad Marani said on Monday that the IRGC forces succeeded in disbanding the groups outside the country’s borders during the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 20).

"One of these groups was led by Amanollah Raeisi which was affiliated to Forqan [terrorist group]. This group sought to conduct certain [terrorist] acts along [Iranian] borders, in border cities and deep into the country and had possessed some 150kg of explosives,” he said.

He added that the IRGC and police forces killed four members of the group in the final days of the holy month of Ramadan (late June).

The commander noted that Raeisi and other members of their nine strong terrorist group were also arrested and failed in their mission.

Despite numerous plots against the country and the spread of activities by different groups beyond the Iranian borders, the IRGC has scored major successes over the past five months, Marani said.

He added that the IRGC Ground Forces’ Quds Base is vigilantly monitoring border areas and possesses precise intelligence of moves by the spying services of Arab countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, and Western states aimed at fomenting insecurity in eastern borders.

The commander said the IRGC forces are closely pursuing the issue of security in all areas such as foreign citizens, smuggling and anti-Islamic Republic and terrorist groups.

On July 23, Brigadier General Majid Arjmandfar, an IRGC commander, said the IRGC forces dismantled two terrorist groups in the country’s northwestern provinces of Kordestan and West Azerbaijan and killed 23 of their elements in clashes while inflicted heavy damage on their bases near the border line.

They were among five terror groups in total operating in northwestern Iran with the aim of destabilizing the country, he added.

Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said in August that it had identified 102 members or supporters of the so-called Tawhid and Jihad Takfiri terrorist groups in the western province of Kordestan, which neighbors Iraq.

The ministry said the group had planned attacks, including assassination of local officials and armed robbery, in the provincial capital city of Sanandaj over the past years.

Back in July, the ministry said it had foiled a major Takfiri-Wahhabi plot to carry out bomb attacks in the capital, Tehran, and other provinces and arrested suspects.

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