Iraq to Give Crushing Response to Aggressors: Iranian Commander
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - A senior Iranian military commander said people and the army in Iraq would give a crushing response to the terrorists and violators through unity and solidarity, as Iraqi government and nation intensified efforts to confront terrorist groups.
On June 10, Iraq’s northern Nineveh Province fell into the hands of militants from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The Takfiri (extremist terrorists’) attacks have reportedly forced more than half a million people in and around Mosul, the capital of Nineveh Province, to flee their homes.
Following the ISIL advances, Iraq's senior Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on Iraqis to take up arms against fighters who were advancing towards Baghdad. Shortly after Sistani made his appeal, more than a thousand volunteers from Karbala made their way down to an army camp in the city of Taji, about 30km north of Baghdad.
Meanwhile the Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki announced Sunday that Iraqi armed forces have retaken the initiative and are advancing to defeat the terrorists.
Pointing to the developments in Iraq, Lieutenant Commander of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base General Ali Reza Sabahi-Fard reiterated on Monday that the Iraqi army and nation would give a crushing response to the terrorists "through unity and solidarity."
As regards possible threat to Iran's security given the latest developments in Iraq, Sabahi-Fard said any regional military threat by the terrorist and extremist groups against Iran would meet immediate response by the Iranian military forces.
The commander added that today’s security and stability in Iran is indebted to the sacrifices made by Iranian military, police and intelligence forces, adding that enemies cannot even think of violating Iran’s territory thanks to the country's might and power.
