TEHRAN, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday inaugurated an airbase in the northwestern province of West Azarbaijan to provide its ground forces and border posts with aerial backup, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
The inauguration ceremony for the "Martyr Mahmoud-Abadi" airbase, which belongs to the IRGC Ground Force Aviation Unit, was attended by IRGC Chief Commander Hossein Salami, IRGC Ground Force Commander Mohammad Pakpour, other IRGC and Iranian armed forces commanders, and local officials.
Mohammad Rahmani, commander of the IRGC Ground Force Aviation Unit, said on the sidelines of the ceremony that the airbase was established to support the missions of the Hamzeh Seyed al-Shohada Base in northwestern Iran.
At the ceremony, the IRGC chief commander highlighted that securing the country's borders is crucial for progress and development. ■
