TEHRAN - The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps announced on Monday that its forces have killed five members of the Party for Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK) in the northwestern border city of Sardasht.

Sardasht has been located in the northwestern province of West Azerbaijan.

“A 5-member terrorist group affiliated to the PJAK was disbanded in Sardasht region in northwestern parts of the country in the precise intelligence and reconnaissance operations of the IRGC Ground Force,” the IRGC said in a statement.

The statement said that the terrorists were responsible for martyrdom of two local Basij members last month and an engineer working there.

Weapons, ammunition, and documents were seized in the operation, the statement said.

“The revolutionary people, soldiers of Islam and local Basij members in the region observe moves of elements affiliated to the global arrogance and enemies of Islam and the Islamic establishment and will respond to any action seeking to undermine the security,” the statement added.

PJAK terrorist group is linked to Turkey’s militant Kurdish Workers’ Party.

In another clash in southern city of Khash on Monday, Iranian police forces killed five members of a terrorist group which is an offshoot of Jaish ul-Adl.

Western and Eastern borders of Iran have been a hotbed for terrorist activities, mainly influenced by weak border monitoring of neighboring countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq. 

Annually, Iranian forces bust terrorists groups in the regions, while losing forces, as well.

The terrorist clashes come at a time when the U.S. State Department’s annual report blamed Iran for supporting terrorism, branding the country as “the foremost state sponsor of terrorism in 2015,” and claimed that Iran has provided “a range of support, including financial, training, and equipment, to groups around the world.”

NA/