Iran's Guards Tell Kurdish Rebels to Lay Down Arms or Leave
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have warned members of an Iraq-based Kurdish separatist group they will be fought "to the end" unless they lay down their arms or leave, local media reported Wednesday.
"Our message is that Islamic Republic of Iran will not tolerate any armed terrorist group which is the product of Americans. They will be confronted decisively till the end," the deputy commander of the force, Brigadier General Hossein Salami said, referring to the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK).
"The groups in the area should lay down their weapons and seek Islamic Republic of Iran compassion or get far enough from our borders, if not then we warn them that they should await our continuation of decisive attacks," he added.
In July, Iran launched a major offensive against PJAK rebels, shelling districts near Iraq's border for weeks, but halted it during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to give the rebels a chance to withdraw from border areas.
The Guards resumed the offensive on September 2, pledging to "continue until all counter-revolutionaries, rebels and terrorists have been cleared away."
Iranian media also quoted the commander of the Guards, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, as saying that the presence of PJAK "prompted our ground forces to go ahead with precise and pre-emptive plans against this threat and it is continuing."
The two Guards' commanders in their comments made no reference to a call for a truce on September 5 by PJAK. The separatists urged Iran to reciprocate in order to prevent further bloodshed.
Tehran responded a day later, saying Iraq's Kurdish autonomous government, which is acting as a mediator, must clarify the details of the proposed truce.
According to the Guards, more than 30 PJAK rebels have been killed and 40 wounded in the second wave of attacks, while the Guards have suffered at least 20 casualties according to different reports published in the local media.
On September 7, Tehran said that it killed the deputy military leader of PJAK.
