16 Arrested Following Deaths of Three Revolutionary Guards Members in Kurdistan
One day after three members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in Iran’s Kurdistan region, Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence announced the arrest of 16 people. The identities of those arrested remain unclear. The Ministry of Intelligence claimed they are affiliated with “separatist” groups.
Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence announced on Wednesday afternoon, Ordibehesht 17 (May 6), the arrest of 16 people in Kurdish-populated areas in western Iran. The Ministry of Intelligence claimed those arrested are affiliated with “separatist” groups. It was also stated that during the arrests of these individuals, a number of weapons and ammunition were confiscated.
The Ministry of Intelligence’s statement said those arrested entered the country from a “neighboring region,” are affiliated with a group based in Europe, and are supported by an “Arab country” in the region.
Western Iran has been the center of activities by Kurdish armed groups for the past 40 years, since the founding of the “Islamic Republic” in Iran, and has been a scene of clashes between these groups and the Revolutionary Guards. Iran’s government describes Kurdish armed groups as “separatists” and as being supported by some Arab countries in the region.
These arrests come one day after Iranian media reported the deaths of three Revolutionary Guards members in these same western Iranian areas.
One of those killed was a senior commander of the Revolutionary Guards in Kurdistan Province. Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, identified him as “Colonel Pasdaran Shakeeba Salimi,” who was the commander of the Bayt al-Maqdis Revolutionary Guards force and deputy commander of operations at the provincial headquarters in Kurdistan.
The news agency identified two others as “Jafar Nezampour” and “Mohammad Shekari,” who were killed during the clash. Fars also reported that “a number of counter-revolutionary elements” were also killed in this clash. The clash occurred in the general area of Divandarreh, near the Iraqi border.
Source: DW
