Iran beefs up border security near Iraq, citing 'separatist' threats

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has stepped up military presence near the western and northwestern borders of the country to deal with "separatist" threats, an IRGC commander said on Friday.

Armored IRGC units and special forces have been deployed "to prevent the infiltration of terrorists affiliated with separatist groups based in northern Iraq and the smuggling of weapons into the country," Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the IRGC Ground Force, was quoted as saying by official IRNA news agency.

The forces would decisively confront insecurity caused by "evil-doers and anti-Iranian separatist terrorist groups in the northwest of the country," Pakpour added.

Iraq has recently issued a similar directive to beef up border security to prevent what Yahya Rasul, spokesperson for the commander in chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, said were more air strikes from the Iranian side.

(CGTN)