Iran helping Iraqis, Kurds in ISIL fight: Deputy FM

Iran has advised Iraq in its fight against ISIL Takfiri terrorists and has provided the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region with similar help, says a senior Iranian official.

Tehran has not sent any weapons or dispatched any troops to the neighboring country for this purpose, said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Wednesday.

“Iran’s national security is our red line,” he stated, adding that Iranian armed forces will not allow the Takfiris to approach the country’s borders.

“Iranian armed forces will act on any spot they find necessary to protect the country’s sovereignty,” the Iranian deputy foreign minister said.

On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said Tehran would back “unity, integrity, and sovereignty” in Iraq.

The ISIL terrorists currently control a swathe of eastern Syria and western Iraq.

Iraq has been fighting ISIL Takfiri terrorists since they took control of Mosul on June 10. The takeover was followed by the fall of the city of Tikrit, located 140 kilometers (87 miles) northwest of the capital Baghdad. The control of Tikrit was later retaken by the Iraqi army.

The ISIL terrorists have been committing heinous crimes in the captured areas, including the mass execution of civilians and Iraqi security forces.

Soldiers of the Iraqi army have been engaged in heavy fighting with the militants on different fronts and have so far been able to push back militants in several areas.

The United States has also been carrying out airstrikes against the ISIL militants.