Basij to Stage Large-Scale Wargames
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Lieutenant Commander of Basij volunteer Force Colonel Nosratollah Seyf said Wednesday that Basij forces will launch the second phase of ‘Ela Beit ul-Muqaddas’ (Towards al-Quds) wargames in four provinces.
The commander said the drills will be the sencod phase of the 8-phase Ela Beit ul-Muqaddas wargames, and will be launched in all cities of four Iranian provinces of Kermanshah, Hamadan, Markazi, and Qazvin on Thursday and Friday.
“In this phase of the wargames, civilian defense, rescue and relief operations, and defense of city and suburban districts will be practiced by Basij forces,” said the commander.
Seyf added that remote defense tactics, anti-heliborne exercises, offensive operations, defense of sensitive installations in urban areas, and territorial defense are among issues that will be assessed during the drills.
Commander of Iran's Basij (volunteer) Force Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi had said on July 24 that his forces will stage a series of wargames in the current Iranian year (ends on March 20, 2014).
Naqdi said that the wargames will be held in a new form and shape.
“Both the combination, and the form of this year’s wargames will be innovative,” Naqdi stated.
Last year, rapid reaction units of Iran's Basij force held tens of military exercises, codenamed Ela Beit ul-Muqaddas.
The wargames have been held throughout Iran to promote Basij forces' power and preparedness in confrontation against potential enemy threats against the country.
The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer force established in 1979 by order of the Late Founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini.
The force consists of often young Iranians, who have volunteered, with a strong sense of fidelity towards both the Islamic system and the religious beliefs.
