MESOP LATEST : Iranian army says it will go beyond its borders to crush the KDPI threat

By Rudaw  – 1 July 2016 – ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—The Iranian army’s  second-in-command Brigadier General Hossein Salami said on Friday that Iran will crush any threats to its territories and told authorities in the Kurdistan Region to abide by their commitment to the security of their shared border.“I warn the officials of northern Iraq adhere to their commitments as the Islamic Republic will crush threats regardless of geographical considerations.” Gen. Salami said at a Friday prayer speech in Tehran University, according to Tehran Times.

Salami was quoted as saying that “Iran will carry out operation beyond borders if necessary.” Members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) clashed with Iranian revolutionary guards in several villages last month including in the town of Shno near the border. B oth sides gave conflicting figures of the casualties but several Iranian soldiers and KDPI Peshmerga are believed to have been killed in the clashes.

In his speech Salami “linked the terrorist attempts with some regional countries which seek to trigger insecurity in Iran, recommending them not ‘play with the lion’s tail.’” wrote Tehran Times.For its part the Kurdish government asked both Iran and Turkey to stop bombing the border areas where hundreds of villagers have been forced from their homes and their farms destroyed.

“The Kurdistan Regional Government expresses condolences to the victims and asks both neighboring countries of the Islamic Republic and Republic of Turkey to stop bombing the border areas,” read a Kurdish government statement.

It stressed that “the Kurdish government policy towards its neighbors has not changed and it is committed to friendship and international law with regards to protecting the stability of those borders and will continue efforts for peace and enduring stability for the people of the Kurdistan Region, Iran, Turkey and the whole region.” Erbil also warned Kurdish groups against using its territories for staging attacks against its neighboring countries of Iran and Turkey.  “At the same we express our objection to the use of Kurdistan Region’s territories and borders for attacks and harm on its neighbors by some Iranian opposition groups and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK),”  www.mesop.de