Revolutionary Guards, IS militants clash in western Iran, casualties reported

Three members from both the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and the Islamic State (IS) were killed in clashes in western Iran on Saturday, a senior commander said.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Three members from both the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and the Islamic State (IS) were killed in clashes in western Iran on Saturday, a senior commander said.

A group of 21 IS militants were tracked after they crossed the western border of Iran before being confronted by Iranian Guards, Sepah News, the IRGC’s official news website, reported.

Head of the IRGC’s ground troops, General Mohammed Pakpour stated that 16 militants were arrested and two tried to flee before being surrounded, Iran’s Tasnim agency reported.

The IRGC did not give any further details on the alleged jihadist group crossing the border, but according to Kurdish officials, they might be the same group who recently appeared in mountainous areas in the Halabja province in the Kurdistan Region. Kurdish security forces have also clashed with the militants.

In June 2017, the jihadist group attacked Iran’s parliament in Tehran and the mausoleum of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, killing over 18 and injured dozens more.

Following the attack, the IRGC fired several missiles on IS bases in Syria on June 18 in response to them striking in the heart of Tehran.

Editing by Nadia Riva