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Iran denies death reports of military advisers in Iraq

Xinhua, June 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Iranian ambassador to Iraq denied that a number of Iran's military advisors have been killed in recent clashes in Iraq's western Anbar Province, official IRNA news agency reported.

"Such reports are not true, as they are aimed at accusing Iran of interfering in Iraq," Hassan Danaeifar said, reacting to some media reports on Monday that 15 Iranian military advisors were killed in a suicide bomb attack by the Islamic State (IS) militants in Anbar Province.

Criticizing the United States' "indifference" to the recent advancements of IS in Iraq, Danaeifar said that "the West and the United States have no will to uproot IS in Iraq."

Last Thursday, an IRNA report said that an Iranian officer, Jassem Nouri, was killed near Iraqi city of Ramadi while he was on an advising mission to Iraqi forces in their fight against IS militants.

Iran has confirmed the presence of its military advisers to Iraq, but has incessantly denied that it has dispatched troops to Iraq to fight terrorist groups.

On Tuesday, Iranian Armed Forces' Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi said that the IS militants do not dare to near Iran's western borders.

"We are determined to destroy IS if it makes it to within 40 km of any of our borders," Firouzabadi was quoted as saying by Press TV.

Also, Iran's Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said Monday that Iran will step in if the IS advances to within 40 km of the country's borders, according to the report. Endit