IRGC Commander: Many ISIS Teams Arrested in Kermanshah Province

On Tuesday, November 17, the commander of the Nabi Akram Corps in Kermanshah stated that "many teams" from the Islamic State (ISIS) "that have been active in this province for the past two years have been arrested by the IRGC and the Ministry of Intelligence." According to ILNA news agency, Bahman Reyhani described the detainees as "teams that were active in the province for recruiting ISIS members and sending them abroad." He referenced the recent arrest of a team that had "organized itself, was militarily prepared, and possessed military equipment, military vests, and timer bombs." The IRGC commander did not provide further details regarding the timing of the last arrests related to ISIS in the province or whether the mentioned teams are different from those previously announced. Bahman Reyhani also reported the destruction of three teams of what he referred to as "counter-revolutionary" forces, specifically the PJAK group, in the region over the past three to four months, stating that the IRGC has "complete intelligence oversight" over them. This announcement follows a statement by Mahmoud Alavi, Iran's Minister of Intelligence, who noted on Monday that "over 10 terrorist groups were discovered during the month of Muharram." On the same day, Ahmadreza Pourdastan, commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces, mentioned during a military exercise in Torbat Jam that "ISIS has threatened that its options after France, Russia, and Iran are next." He added that the Iraqi Foreign Minister had also warned about this, but the Iranian Army "is not afraid of these threats," and a 40-kilometer red line has been drawn in Diyala, Iraq. Pourdastan warned ISIS not to approach the Iranian border, stating that "before reaching the border, their actions will be neutralized, and a crushing response will be given to them." This follows the terrorist attacks on Friday in various locations in Paris that left 129 dead and hundreds injured, for which ISIS claimed responsibility. Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Iraq's Foreign Minister, stated on Saturday that the country's intelligence agencies have obtained information indicating that "the terrorists" intend to carry out new attacks in France, the United States, and Iran. Warnings from Iranian security and military officials regarding ISIS continued on Tuesday, November 17. Among them, Hossein Ashtari, the commander of the Law Enforcement Force, emphasized the "complete readiness" of Iran's security apparatus to confront ISIS, mentioning the emergence of a Persian Telegram network by the group, stating that the Law Enforcement Force and other security agencies are monitoring virtual activities and will "identify" the operators of such networks and deal with them "decisively." Simultaneously, according to ISNA, Mostafa Izadi, deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, stated that "we will definitely hear valuable news of victories from the Syrian fighters in the coming days." According to IRNA, Iran's Minister of Defense, Hossein Dehghan, also congratulated the Syrian Defense Minister on recent victories of the Syrian Army and popular forces against terrorism and emphasized Iran's continued support for the "government and people of Syria."