The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force has defended the latest ballistic missile and drone strikes against terrorist bases in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, stating that operations will continue until all anti-Iran separatist and terrorist outfits holed up in the rugged mountainous area lay down their arms and surrender.
“In the wake of an uptick in the seditious acts of separatist and terrorist groups stationed in Iraq’s northern region (of Kurdistan), the proven role and involvement of some terrorist and separatist outfits in the recent riots that have gripped some Iranian towns and cities, the discovery and neutralization a major sabotage plot hatched by Komala terrorist group against Iran's nuclear facilities, and disregard of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials for calls demanding the destruction of the terrorists’ bases, the IRGC Ground Force identified their command centers and headquarters, which were also instigating and supporting recent wicked acts, and heavily bombarded them in a decisive and retaliatory response,” it announced in a statement.
The statement went on to highlight that the IRGC Ground Force employed various types of ballistic missiles as well as armed combat drones to pound and destroy terror bases in northern Iraq after its calls and warnings to KRG authorities regarding the terrorist groups’ vicious acts and conspiracies went unanswered.
“The latest string of operations will continue until the [full] disarmament of all terrorist groups holed up there. We are calling on the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government to demonstrate more seriousness as to their responsibilities towards the Islamic Republic of Iran as their neighbor,” it pointed out.
On Wednesday, IRGC’s Ground Force launched at least 73 ballistic missiles and dozens of suicide drones in fresh attacks against anti-Iran terrorist groups holed up in the Iraqi Kurdistan region.
Iran has on countless occasions warned KRG authorities that it will not tolerate the presence and activity of terrorist groups along its northwestern borders, saying the country will give a decisive response should those areas become a hub of anti-Islamic Republic terrorists.
Back in May, the IRGC struck and demolished positions of terrorist groups operating near the country’s western borders in Iraq’s northern Kurdish regional capital of Erbil.
Also in September last year, the IRGC launched an attack in northern Iraq, where it destroyed four bases belonging to hostile groups.
“Counterrevolutionary groups have been organized by intelligence services of hostile and foreign countries and even some Arab states in northern Iraq” to be used “in line with [achieving] their goals and creating obstacles in the way of the Islamic Republic,” the deputy commander of the IRGC Ground Force’s Hamzeh Seyed al-Shohada Base in northwestern Iran, Brigadier General Majid Arjmandfar, said back then.