A top Iranian military official has urged Iraq to disarm the anti-Iran “terrorist groups” along the common border as promised, saying otherwise Iran will resume military operations against them.
Mohammad Baqeri, Chairman of the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, made the remarks at an annual conference attended by ground force commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the northeastern city of Mashhad, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Tuesday.
Blaming some neighbouring countries for failing to “favourably” fulfill their commitments to ensuring border security, Baqeri said a number of “armed separatist groups” in northern Iraq have caused some insecurities along the common border with Iran.
Baqeri added the IRGC Ground Force had halted missile and drone strikes against these groups after the Iraqi government pledged to disarm the groups and put an end to their activities by late August, Xinhua news agency reported.
He stressed that Iran will wait until the deadline approaches, expressing hope that the Iraqi government would manage to fulfill its responsibility.
Iran and Iraq signed an agreement on security cooperation in Baghdad on March 19 that includes coordination in protecting the border between the two countries.
Last year, the IRGC’s Ground Force conducted several military operations against “separatist terrorists” in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, accusing these groups of having “caused insecurity” in a number of Iranian border cities.
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