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Türkiye's intelligence agency warned Iran's Revolutionary Guards about armed PKK/YPG/SDF terrorists attempting to cross into Iranian territory from Iraq in recent days, according to three sources who spoke to Reuters, in what Tehran characterizes as an effort to exploit instability during a crackdown on protests.
The sources, including a senior Iranian official who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Turkish intelligence alerted the IRGC after detecting the SDF terrorists crossing the frontier. The Iranian official said the Revolutionary Guards clashed with the terrorists, who the official claimed sought to create instability and take advantage of ongoing protests in Iran.
The fighters had been dispatched from Iraq and Türkiye, the Iranian official said, adding that Tehran has asked those countries to halt any transfer of fighters or weapons to Iranian territory. A rights group said 2,600 people have been killed in recent days in a crackdown on Iranian protesters opposing clerical rule.
Türkiye's intelligence agency MIT did not immediately comment on the issue, nor did the presidency in Ankara. Türkiye, which designates SDF/PKK/YPG elements in northern Iraq as terrorists, has warned in recent days that any foreign intervention in Iran would escalate regional crises.
The development comes as Türkiye has positioned itself as supporting regional stability while coordinating with neighboring countries on security threats posed by SDF terrorists groups. Turkish authorities have long conducted operations against PKK-affiliated organizations in northern Iraq and Syria, viewing them as threats to national security.
The Revolutionary Guards are an elite force that has suppressed previous bouts of unrest in Iran. The Iranian official characterized the attempted border crossing as foreign entities potentially seeking to take advantage of instability following days of protest suppression in Tehran. The United States has threatened to intervene in support of protesters, according to Iranian characterizations of Washington's position.
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