A man walks past graffiti reading "Erbil" near the main square outside the Citadel of Arbil in the capital of Iraq's northern autonomous Kurdish region, on July 7, 2021. (SAFIN HAMED / AFP)
TEHRAN – Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched artillery and drone strikes on terrorist bases in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, semi-official daily Hamshahri reported on Thursday.
The attack was conducted on Wednesday by the IRGC Air Force's missile and drone units, and tens of militants were killed or injured in the operation, according to an IRGC communique quoted by Hamshahri.
The communique points to clashes committed by terrorist groups in recent months in border areas as the reason for the attack.
IRGC Ground Force Commander Mohammad Pakpour said on Monday that terrorist groups have been using Iraq as a platform to stage attacks on Iran, and vowed a "rigid and harsh response" to such actions.
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On Aug 10, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), urged the visiting Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein to expel "anti-Iran armed terrorist groups" in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq.
The western border areas of Iran have been the scene of clashes between armed militant groups and Iranian security forces for years.