TEHRAN - According to military experts the Iranian army has the fifth most powerful ground force in the world, Chief of the Army Ground Force said on Saturday. 

Iran’s Ground Force is the 5th most powerful ground force in the world,” Brigadier General Kiomars Heidari said as he visited a military training center in Tehran.

Iran has conducted major military drills in recent years to enhance the defense capabilities of its armed forces, testing modern military tactics and state-of-the-art equipment.

In November 2019, the ground force staged large-scale military drills, codenamed “Zolfaghar-e-Velayat”, in northwest Iran to boost the combat readiness of its units. It covered a vast strategic area in the region.

Various divisions of the ground force participated in the drill, which was focused on practicing the transfer of rapid reaction units via ground and air from across the country to operation zones. The enlisted units also displayed their efficacy to enhance their readiness in responding to operational requirements and threats through day and night.

In his Saturday remarks, General Heidari also pointed to his forces’ role in the war on the Daesh terrorists, saying, “We went to the Iraqi Kurdistan region to counter Daesh terrorists’ growing threats. We set up a headquarters there to confront Daesh 40 kilometers away from Iran’s borders.” 

Back in March 2016, Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, who was army ground force commander at the time, said his forces smashed two teams affiliated with the Daesh (ISIL) group before entering Iran from western borders.

According to Pourdastan, now chairman of the Army’s Center for Strategic Research Studies, a large number of suicide vests and explosive devices were confiscated from the terrorists in the operation at the time.

MJ/PA