TEHRAN, March 6 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian military official has warned Iraq's Kurdistan region that all its facilities will be targeted in case of entry by "separatist groups" from its territory into Iran, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Friday.
Ali Akbar Ahmadian, representative of the Iranian Supreme Leader in the Defense Council, made the remarks amid reports that the United States seeks to use Kurdish and Iranian separatist groups based in mountainous areas near the Iran-Iraq border to conduct a ground invasion against Iran.
"We caution our friends and brothers in Iraq's Kurdistan that so far, only the bases of the United States, Israel and the separatist groups have been targeted in the (Kurdistan) region, but in case of permission for the continued presence and conspiring or entry by these groups and Israel into Iran through the region, all facilities of Iraq's Kurdistan will be targeted in an extensive manner," Ahmadian said.
Iran's Intelligence Ministry said on Thursday the country's armed forces have "destroyed" and heavily damaged a significant part of the positions and facilities belonging to the "separatist groups" near western borders with Iraq.
It noted that the "pre-emptive" military operation was carried out jointly by its forces and those of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, the official news agency IRNA reported.
The ministry said the groups sought to infiltrate Iran through borders with support from the United States and Israel and carry out attacks in the country's urban and border areas. ■
