IRGC war games begin on Feb. 19

TEHRAN, Feb. 19 (MNA) – The ground troops of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps will start a new round of war games in the central province of Yazd on Sunday, IRGC Ground Forces Commander Mohammad Pakpour announced on Saturday. The purpose of the new war games is to display IRGC forces’ capabilities to repel possible military threats by extra-regional enemies against the country, Brigadier General Pakpour said. Other purposes of the maneuvers are to increase the country’s deterrence capability, practice modern defensive tactics, and test advanced indigenous military equipment, he added. The exercises are the third round of IRGC war games in the current Iranian calendar year, which started on March 21, 2011. In early February, IRGC ground troops carried out the Supporters of Velayat maneuvers in southern Iran. The purpose of the maneuvers was announced to be enhancing military capabilities of intelligence and combat units of ground troops to maintain security in various situations. In January, IRGC ground troops held the Martyrs to Unity war games in eastern Iran. In the preliminary stage of the Martyrs to Unity war games, cavalry, mechanized, and combat units of the IRGC Ground Forces spread out across the theater of operation and destroyed mock enemy targets using tactics of asymmetric warfare. In the main stage of the maneuvers, IRGC commandoes attacked mock enemy positions with heavy fire. IRGC air defense units also targeted flying aircraft at low altitudes using shoulder-fired missiles.