But the PJAK claimed it had left Iraq and was now operating entirely inside Iran!
“PJAK’s moves have been harnessed through the cooperation between the Pasdaran and border guard units of the police,” said Gen. Hossain Zolfaqari of Iran’s Border Guards. He further added that after months of massive military operations, the Iranian forces inflicted heavy losses on PJAK fighters, including killing several of the group’s leaders.
But not to be outdone in a war that’s often as much rhetoric as fighting, a senior PJAK official said his fighters were still ready to fight Iranian troops. He said PJAK fighters had entered Iran – not the other way around, as claimed by Iran – after they received calls from Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan government to avoid any harm to civilians.
“That does not mean we are afraid of Iran, and we are ready to repel any attacks,” he said. “We are now located on Iranian land.”
Appearing on state-run provincial TV in West Azarbaijan, the commander of the Seyyed ol-Shohada Hamzeh Pasdar Regiment, Gen. Lavasanlu, said his forces had captured the mountainous terrain of the Jasusan Heights.
Lavasnlu said, “Warriors of Islam are stationed at all zero points,” meaning they were right on the border with Iraq.
“Today, thanks to very huge pressure imposed upon the enemy, warriors of Islam seized the enemy’s last base in the Sardasht area. Therefore, with the help of God, we have no border problem in the Sardasht region as we have reached the zero point along the entire length of the Sardasht border.”
He issued the clearest statement yet by an Iranian official denying that Iranian troops had infiltrated into Iraq.
“God is my witness, we were in our territory and were moving along our territory from the very beginning,” he said. However, previously another military officer said the Jasusan Heights had been cleared and asked the Iraqi Kurdish regional government to patrol the area to prohibit PJAK from returning to it, implying that his troops had been inside Iraq.
Deputy Defense Minister for Political Affairs Nasser Dehqan also added that Iranian troops had seized US-made arms being used by PJAK fighters. He asserted the weapons proved the US was arming the Kurdish rebels to pressure Iran. Actually, the CIA traditionally has supplied the Russian-designed AK-47 to rebel bands it supports because they are simpler to use and maintain and aren’t traceable to the United States.
PJAK was added to the list of terrorist organizations under the Obama administration. PJAK’s sister organization, the PKK, which is active primarily in Turkey, has been on the list for several years running.
All US citizens are prohibited from dealing with organizations on that list, which includes Al-Qaeda.