Iran to stage military drill near Pak border

New weapons and gear will be tested by IRGC units

Iran announced on Sunday that the country’s Revolutionary Guards will begin exercises for their ground forces near its border with Pakistan, the official IRNA news agency reported.

According to The Associated Press, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force chief Brigadier General Mohammad Khakpour said that the three-day exercise will be carried out in four provinces and will see the IRGC test some new military equipment — including a new helicopter unit.



"The military drills, codenamed Payambar-e Azam (The Great Prophet), will be held in southeastern Iran on April 12-14," General Khakpour told reporters on Sunday, Iran’s official FARS news agency reported.

"We have taught our experiences to the IRGC units in textbooks and we will practice it in this military drill," he said adding that the exercise aims to boost the IRGC’s combat preparedness in addition to displaying the force’s military might.

General Khakpour detailed that military maneuvers will be held in the Saravan region on the first day and in the Mirjaveh region on the second day.



Earlier in February, the Chief of Staff of Iranian Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi had outlined the purpose of the exercise was to “test its recently developed weapons and military equipment”.

"The large-scale drills will be staged within the framework of the armed forces' stated goals: training, testing and using new products," Firouzabadi had said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th,  2016.