Deployment of an Iranian Artillery Group in the West to Counter ISIS

The commander of the 33rd artillery group of the Iranian army announced the return of this group to Kurdistan province "after the proximity of ISIS to the Iranian border." According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, IRNA, Mohsen Azarafrouz stated on Wednesday, January 24, that this group, stationed in Kurdistan, is controlling "new regional threats" at the western borders of Iran. He added: "Following the movements of ISIS in the region and their approach to the Iranian border, the 33rd army group was deployed in Kurdistan to support the western regions of the country, including Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and Ilam provinces." The Iranian Students' News Agency, ISNA, also reported another part of Mr. Azarafrouz's statements, which mentioned that the 33rd artillery group, which had been stationed in Tehran after the Iran-Iraq war, has returned to the city of Sanandaj "based on renewed needs." However, he did not specify when this group returned to Sanandaj. Mr. Azarafrouz continued by saying: "The capture of Mosul, which was the communication route between Iran and Syria, indicated that ISIS has intentions towards the Islamic Republic of Iran." This army commander added: "According to the army's announcement, if this group had reached 40 kilometers from our borders, it would have been attacked by the army's artillery, but while it had reached 48 kilometers from our borders, it did not come closer." He concluded: "At the time when ISIS reached 48 kilometers from the Iranian border, there was always the possibility of our attack on ISIS, and we had even reached the stage of missile deployment." Previously, Ahmadreza Pourdastan, commander of the Iranian army's ground forces, had warned that the depth of 40 kilometers into Iraqi territory is Iran's "red line" for groups he describes as "terrorist." Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam, commander of Iran's police force, also stated on Thursday, January 18, that the "Islamic State" group (formerly ISIS) had recently approached 40 kilometers from the Iranian border near the city of Qasr-e Shirin in Kermanshah province. According to reports, the Islamic State group captured the cities of Jalawla and al-Sadiyah in Diyala province of Iraq in June, which are about 41 kilometers from the Khosravi border in Qasr-e Shirin county of Iran. In early December, Iraqi army forces, supported by Shiite and Kurdish militias, recaptured these two cities from the Islamic State militants.