Military Official:

20 Terrorist Attempts Foiled in Iran Annually

Rasa - The Iranian security and Armed Forces discover and thwart from 15 to 20 terrorist attempts and threats every year, a senior military official said.

News ID: 426183

Date: 31 December 2016 - 22:34

RNA - "The enemy never stops its hostility and annually, between 15 to 20 cases of terrorist threats, including suicide and blast attempts and the like, are discovered and defused in the country and these (threats) sometimes increase to 30 cases a year," Head of the Ground Operations Department of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Seyed Morteza Mirian said in an interview with the stat-run TV on Friday night.

His remarks came after Iranian Deputy Interior Minister for Security and Law Enforcement Affairs Hossein Zolfaqari announced earlier this month that the country's security forces have dismantled a terrorist cell which planned to carry out sabotage acts inside Iran.

"Recently, a 3-member terrorist team which sought to enter the country via the Western borders was identified," Zolfaqari told reporters in Tehran.

After identifying and tracking the terrorist cell, it was dismantled by the Iranian security and intelligence forces, he added.

Unofficial sources said that the terrorists were affiliated to the ISIL.

Also, last month, Zolfaqari announced that a terrorist cell was dismantled in the Eastern parts of Iran.

"Last night, a terrorist team was disbanded by the intelligence ministry in Eastern Iran," Zolfaqari said on November 22.

"The team had 4 members, one of whom was killed and three others were arrested," he added.

Zolfaqari said that the terrorists were carrying ammunition and explosive materials which were discovered and seized by the security forces.

Also in November, the Iranian intelligence ministry announced that its forces had dismantled a Takfiri terrorist group in the city of Garmsar in Semnan province to the Southeast of the capital city of Tehran before they could carry out sabotage acts inside Iran.

"Iran’s intelligence ministry's forces have confiscated nearly two tons of explosives from the ISIL terrorists in Garmsar city," the intelligence ministry said.

It said that the terrorists intended to use the explosives to carry out bomb attacks in at least 10 locations across the country.

The intelligence ministry did not mention the exact date of confiscation of explosives, but said it was the consequence of people’s cooperation with the ministry's forces.

In early November, Head of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Public Relations Department General Ramezan Sharif announced that the IRGC forces had dismantled two terrorist groups seeking to carry out sabotage acts inside Iran, adding that they were mercenaries of Saudi Arabia.

"By hollow promises, Saudi Arabia attempted to make the terrorist groups, including Komala and the former Democrat group (Democratic Party of Iran's Kurdistan (Hadka) affiliated to Komala party), to confront the Islamic Republic," General Sharif said.

"Two 12-member and 16-member teams of Democrat who had entered Iran for sabotage operations were disbanded by the IRGC's Ground Force and the intelligence ministry before they could do anything noteworthy," he added.

Reports also said in early November that several terrorists affiliated to the Komala Party (a terrorist group active in Kurdistan region) were captured by Iranian security forces.

According to Hawari Kurdistan news website, the terrorists are accused of killing three people in Kamyaran town of Iran's Kurdistan province in the past two months.

The arrested terrorists had confessed to relations and cooperation with members of the disbanded terrorist group, the Democratic Party of Iran's Kurdistan (Hadka), to carry out assassination of ordinary people in Kamyaran for their refusal to cooperate or finance the terrorist group.

The development came after Secretary of Iran's Expediency Council (EC) Mohsen Rezayee blasted Saudi Arabia for its destructive measures in the region, and said Riyadh is supporting and sending terrorists to Iran.

"The Saudi consulate in Northern Iraq helps the Komala Party (a terrorist group active in Kurdistan region) to interfere in Iran and Iraq's affairs and sends terrorists to Iran but its plots have failed due to the vigilance of the revolutionary forces," Rezayee said, addressing a forum in Alborz province near Tehran in July.

"The Saudis are the most evil government on Earth and are stirring turmoil in the region because of their insanity," he added.

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