Basij Wargames Kick Off in 6 Provinces of Iran

Tens of battalions from the Basij Force are taking part in the two-day drills, which started simultaneously in the provinces of Tehran, Qom, Semnan, Razavi Khorsan, North Khorasan and South Khorasan.

The wargames are aimed at bolstering the deterrent power of the Basij forces, enhancing their general skills based on the designated missions, and reinforcing their combat preparedness and capabilities.

The participating units will exercise offensive operation tactics, heliborne and anti-heliborne exercises, long-range defense capability, confronting unrest and disorde operations, relief and rescue operations, civil defense tactics, tactical night marches, control of main roads, and defending sensitive centers.

Commander of Iran’s Basij (volunteer) Force Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi had said in July 2013 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 at the time.

Last year, rapid reaction units of Iran’s Basij force had 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.