ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Friday announced that they were strengthening their forces on the borders with the Kurdistan Region through deploying armored units and special forces, aimed at preventing exiled Kurdish opposition groups from transporting weapons into the country. “The IRGC ground forces are resolutely dealing with the factors of insecurity in the region by strengthening internal forces in the border area of the western and northwestern provinces of the country with the cooperation of the zealous local people,” Iranian state media cited Commander of the IRGC's ground forces Mohammad Pakpour as saying. Pakpour cited “movements” of Kurdish opposition groups on the borders and in the country’s westers Kurdish areas (Rojhelat) as reasoning for the decision to deploy armored divisions, accusing the groups of creating “mischief” and smuggling arms into the country. Iran has struck bases of Kurdish opposition parties in the Kurdistan Region at least four times within the past two months, accusing the parties of encouraging and arming the ongoing protests at home. Khalil Nadiri, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Freedom Party, told Rudaw’s Hemin Baban that the IRGC have deployed tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, and drones to the Iranian borders with the Kurdistan Region in recent days, and have also increased their forces in the Kurdish cities of Baneh, Marivan, and Piranshahr. The Guards are responsible for the harsh crackdown that is ongoing in Rojhelat where at least 40 protesters have died in the space of a week. US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that as of Friday morning, 445 people including 63 children, in addition to 57 members of the security forces. In the Kurdish areas, the number is estimated to be at 98 protesters including 10 children.
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