Security forces have killed a key member of the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group and busted his terror cell during clashes in western Iran, according to a provincial official.
The terror cell had infiltrated Kermanshah Province that borders Iraq. It had been tasked with staging suicide strikes against different targets across the country, including its central cities, said Kermanshah's Governor General Asadollah Razani, Press TV reported.
The security forces dismantled the outfit during confrontations in the provincial capital of Kermanshah and another unspecified city in the province over Sunday and Monday.
On Monday night, security, intelligence and popular forces engaged a first batch of the group's members, killing the key IS agent and arresting some others.
On Tuesday morning, forces swooped on a house used by the cell in Kermanshah, killing three more terrorists and seizing suicide vests and belts, grenades and automatic weapons.
Iranian forces have, over the past few months, engaged in clashes with terrorist groups, thwarting plots on the border and within the country, arresting several operatives and confiscating large amounts of explosives and bomb-making materials.
Back in June, the Intelligence Ministry reported thwarting a major terror plot to stage attacks in Iran's major cities, including Tehran.
