The police chief on Friday underlined efforts to protect security along borders and said militants of the so-called Islamic State terror group are unable to pose a threat to Iran. “IS terrorists [which operate in neighboring Iraq and Syria and have spread death and destruction in the two war-torn countries] never dare get close to Iran’s borders,” Fars News Agency quoted Lieutenant General Hossein Ashtari as saying. He reiterated that in addition to police presence in all key border regions, police and security forces are monitoring all movements along the long borders using advanced electronic equipment. He pointed to the 2,000 kilometers of common borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan and said, “The borders are presently in satisfactory condition in terms of security.” Earlier this month, Border Police Chief Lieutenant General Qassem Rezaei said IS terrorists have kept “a wide distance” from Iran’s borders. He said full security has been preserved along the western frontier, while border control has been tightened in the eastern and southeastern regions, areas prone to cross-border movements by crime syndicates, drug traffickers and insurgents.
