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Kurdistan: Iranian Missile Base under Construction | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Media ID: 55351552
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IRGC member inspecting an underground ballistic missile last March, AFP


Irbil- Exposing regional plans of Iran, a Kurdish official revealed that the Iranian regime has launched its construction of the largest missile and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) base. The center is being established near Sayed Sadiq which belongs to the Sulaymaniyah Governorate located in the Iraqi Kurdistan.

The IRGC are considered Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard which is intended to protect the country’s Supreme Leader’s agenda, and answer to no one else but Iranian current spiritual Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The IRGC have reportedly announced their mission bent on protecting the religious borders of Iran even on foreign grounds.

The official further revealed that the number of IRGC commanders and officers frequently visiting the location and supervising the construction are being present on a daily basis. Quds Force division had deployed a large number of unit400 members who are assigned with monitoring and dealing with Iran-backed Kurdish forces to the area.

Commanded by notorious Major General Qassem Soleimani, the Quds Force division acts as the IRGC’s special operations force, employing the crème de la crème of Iranian intelligence and acting as a nomad-styled force. The unit is exclusively responsible for their extraterritorial operations.

“The IRGC had started since May 7 its construction of a military base in the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range, inside Iraqi Kurdistan,” the official said.

“According to our information, the Iranian regime is working on founding a missile base in the region, given its strategic value. The location influences a majority of its vicinity. Iranian military helicopters consistently hover over the region; meanwhile IRGC soldiers and machines work on construction.”

“Brigadier general and commander of the IRGC ground forces Mohammad Pakpour had paid the area a visit twice in the last few days to inspect progress on base construction. Issa Habib Zadeh, another IRGC commander, primarily situated in the Marivan region in the Kurdistan Province, Iran; had visited the site for three days last week,” said the official.

“Abdeen Khorram, another IRGC commander, located in Urmia city, had visited the base twice,” he said.

The official then explained that with the redundant visitations of high-end IRGC officers, the base underway is of significant value to Iranian regional ambitions.

“Aside to the military base in progress, the IRGC is working on finishing the project on tunnel construction, which Iranian forces located in the Iranian-Iraqi area had started drilling during the 80’s war with Iraq; the tunnel would facilitate arms and troops transport into and out of the base,” the official added.

On the other hand, Chairman of the Peshmerga in the Kurdistan region’s parliament and a member of the Supreme Committee of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan office organizations Dler Mustafa denied the existence of any IRGC military base. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Mustafa said: “We do not have any information on the subject.”