Iranian Border Guards Arrest Three Afghans Seeking to Join Islamic State

MOSCOW, January 5 (Sputnik) – Iranian border guards arrested three armed Afghan nationals, who tried to cross the country into Iraq to join the Islamic State, Fars news agency reports.

"The border guards have arrested three Afghans who had cross the border with Iran as they were fully armed with explosives and intended to join the ISIL" in Iraq, said Iranian Border Guards Commander Brigadier General Qassem Rezayee, as quoted by the news agency. The Islamic State, a radical Sunni group, which made headlines in June 2014 when it captured Iraq’s second largest city of Mosul in a blitz offensive, is also occasionally referred to as ISIL.

The three men were detained in the northwest of the country.

The Islamic State, possibly the most brutal militant group in the Middle East, has stepped up its efforts to recruit prospective fighters in the region and globally. It is estimated that as many as 16,000 foreigners have joined the IS since 2012, Reuters reported, citing the US Department of State.

In a separate incident, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards arrested members of a terrorist cell in the southeast of the country. The operation was carried out in the Sarbaz region in response to the killing of several teachers and members of Basij, a paramilitary volunteer militia, according to Fars news agency.

Sarbaz, located in the Sistan and Baluchestan Province, bordering Pakistan, is often rocked by violent incidents, involving Sunni extremists and drug smugglers, according to AFP.