TEHRAN- The military operations conducted by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force along Iran’s northern border have pushed terrorists to retreat into the inner regions of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region for approximately four years, a senior IRGC commander says.

Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the IRGC Ground Force, made the remarks at a symposium held in Tehran on Saturday to honor journalists.

Emphasizing the professional work his troops have been doing to maintain security in border areas, he said for around four years IRGC forces had been undertaking operations in Iran’s northwest to promote security along the country’s shared border with Iraq.

 “These military operations have compelled the terrorists to withdraw to locations deep inside the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and leave the areas near the border with Iran,” the commander said.

“In fact, the IRGC operations were in progress until the Iraqi government officials asked us to halt the operations,” General Pakpour added.

In 2022, the IRGC conducted a number of rounds of intense airstrikes on the bases of separatist groups in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

On September 24, 2022, the first phase of the assaults started when the separatists moved to spark unrest in border cities west of Iran.

Following their armed teams’ unauthorized incursion into Iranian border cities, the Komalah and Democrat terrorist groups with bases in Iraq were targeted by the IRGC Ground Force.

The IRGC stated at the time, “These terrorists - who are backed by the global arrogance and are based in the Iraqi northern region – were forced to flee the country after suffering heavy casualties.”

The IRGC emphasized that despite several warnings from Iran regarding the operations of terrorist groups in the region, officials of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region failed to heed the warnings and take the appropriate precautions to stop their activities.

Additionally, it stated that the Iranian military activities were part of measures to maintain long-term border security and punish aggressive terrorists.

On July 11, he said that the enemy had concluded that Iran cannot be defeated through traditional military tactics.

Speaking to the IRGC commanders at their annual conference in Mashhad, General Pakpour said the enemy has learned about some of Iran’s military and defense capabilities and has come to the firm conclusion that it is impossible to defeat Iran’s power and capabilities using conventional military techniques.

In the modern period of conflict with Iran, the enemy has turned to a hybrid war as a result, the commander continued, highlighting the fact that this hostile scheme is also prone to failure.

The general also made reference to the enemies’ plans to hire mercenary cells with no human comprehension to carry out assassination attacks.

He maintained that the proxies’ blind terrorist attacks have revealed the connections between the enemies and the terrorists and increased public animosity toward them.

President Ebrahim Raisi said in September 2022 that the Islamic Republic is so strong that it cannot be subdued via military force, citing the U.S. acknowledgment that its policy of maximum pressure on Iran has failed miserably.