TEHRAN – The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Monday pounded the positions of terrorist parties in northern Iraq, using missiles and drones.

It is not the first time that Iran is targeting the positions of these terrorist groups in northern Iraq.

These separatist groups commit terrorist acts once in a while in west and northwestern Iran.

The bases of terrorists were struck 80 kilometers in north of Erbil.

Iran has repeatedly called on the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) not to allow these militant groups use northern Iraq as a hiding place.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani told reporters on Monday that the IRGC’s actions against these terrorist groups are “quite legal”.

An IRGC commander said Iran will continue its attacks on these groups so long as the KRG or the Iraqi central government doesn’t put an end to their presence in northern Iraq.

“So long as the Kurdistan Region or Iraq’s central government does not fulfill the demands of the Islamic Republic of Iran in disarming these grouplets and expel them, such moves will continue,” Brigadier General Mohammad-Taqi Asanlou asserted.

He added, “We targeted the positions of separatist terrorist grouplets with kamikaze drones, war drones and also missiles, and we precisely hit all targets that we had identified.”

Asanlou added that a number of these militants were detained in the recent riots in the country and some of them admitted that they entered Iran to cause disturbances, claim deaths and use internal elements.

Brigadier General Asanlou said these groups have unfortunately created a “human shield” for themselves by their families. However, he said Iran is losing its patience and “we are forced to even hit bases” that they have established near residential places.

 ‘Security at borders and inside Iran are red lines’

In an announcement, the public relations office of the IRGC also said security at border areas and inside the country are Iran’s “red lines” and asked the Iraqi central government and the KRG to abide by their obligations toward Iran in line with good neighborliness and establishing security at common borders.

It said the IRGC launched attacks on the “terrorist, anti-revolution and anti-Iran” separatists after “intentional” inaction by KRG officials in disarming and expelling these grouplets.

These groups which have nested in the Kurdistan region have become active again to create insecurity in Iran despite that the fact that Iran launched an operation against them just a few weeks ago, it explained.

The IRGC resumed the attacks after diplomatic and security sessions with KRG officials in closing these groups’ bases did not yield results, the IRGC added.

It said Iran held these sessions with the concerned officials in Iraq with the aim of protecting the security and tranquility of people in northern Iraq but “unfortunately not effective practical and objective actions” were taken by the other side.

The IRGC said, “Since border and internal security are the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, we will not tolerate this condition.”

According to the IRG announcement, Iran had repeatedly reminded the Iraqi central government and the KRG to relocate civilians living near the bases of these terrorist groups. 

It added it is Iran’s “legitimate” and “legal” demand that northern Iraq be cleansed of these “mercenary and criminal terrorists” in line with durable security in the region.

In order to prevent more sufferings by the people of Iraq and Iran it is necessary that Iraqi officials do tangible acts, it concluded.

In reaction to Iran’s attacks on militant groups in northern Iraq, Nechirvan Barzani, the president of Kurdistan Region, said his autonomous government does not want to be a “danger” to neighbors and instead it wants to be a source of “stability”.

However, Barzani said, “Unfortunately, the Koysanjaq district and certain regional borders were attacked, we have good relations with all neighbors, but we want the (central) Iraqi government to put an end to these breaches,” Shafaq News reported.

Tasnim reported that the IRGC resumed for the second time on Wednesday “artillery and missile” attacks on the separatist groups in northern Iraq.

In the second round the bases of Democratic Party in the Koysanjaq district were targeted by missiles and those of Komalah by drones.

After repeated warnings, the IRGC Ground Force launched a series of heavy attacks on these militants on September 2. At the time Iran announced that it will continue its attacks if they don’t abandon their vicious acts. On October 8, the IRGC halted its operations.

“The IRGC attacks have been halted after destroying predetermined targets, however continuation of them is dependent on the behavior of the Iraqi Kurdistan officials,” Tasnim reported on Monday, quoting an informed source.