Iranian forces pound rebels in northwest border region

"This morning, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) ground forces targeted sites linked to counter-revolutionary terrorist groups in our country's northwest border region, resulting in heavy losses and casualties for the counter-revolutionaries," an army press release to state-backed IRNA said.

Artillery fire was used in the attack, according to the statement.

"As we have repeated on numerous occasions, national security and preserving Iran's peace and stability – in particular for our people in the border provinces – is a priority for our armed forces and the IRGC," it added.

The development comes a day after IRNA reported that "terrorists" who attempted to sneak into Iran's West Azerbaijan province killed three Iranian border guards and wounded two others.

West Azerbaijan, located roughly 650 kilometres northwest of Tehran, borders both Iraq and Turkey. That report did not say which country the perpetrators had come from.

The region sees sporadic clashes with Iranian Kurdish militant groups, as well as fighters linked to the Islamic State (IS) group.

Iranian attacks have targeted sites in northern Iraq, which Tehran claims are hideouts for Kurdish rebels, where they stage attacks against the IRGC and state institutions.

In July, Iran said "terrorists" killed two people and wounded a third person in an attack in Iran's province of Kurdistan, to the south of West Azerbaijan. In June, Iran
attacked bases of Iranian Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.

Agencies contributed to this report.

Read more:  2 killed in 'terrorist' attack in western Iran

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