Association Humanitaire: Iran: Scale of IRGC Foreign Fighters' Program Revealed

NCRI - The US Representative Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) today revealed, from its sources inside Iran, the regime's sophisticated program of training foreign mercenaries.

The Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has created the Training Directorate, codenamed '12,000'. Headquartered at the Imam Ali military base, the IRGC operates dozens of training camps across Iran, specializing in all aspects of warfare from missile to marine operations. Cadres are divided by nationality as well as specialization.

The Training Directorate was approved by Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, on a visit to the Quds Force, according to a senior adviser to the IRGC commander-in-chief and the directorate’s former commander, IRGC Brigadier General, Khosrow Orouj.

Every month, hundreds of forces from Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan and Lebanon -- countries where the regime is involved in frontline combat -- receive military training and are subsequently dispatched to the various frontlines. For operations in countries where there is no open warfare - including Persian Gulf countries, such as Bahrain and Kuwait - terrorists cells are trained instead.

The NCRI today highlighted 14 IRGC training camps, as well as describing the command structure, stating that the commander of the Training Directorate, reports directly to Quds Force Commander, Qassem Soleimani. Terrorist training for operatives from across the globe is commanded by Colonel Tahmasebi. Codenamed '320', the commander of heavy weapons training at Imam Ali military base is Colonel Ali Mohammad. In charge of 'VIP Security' is Colonel Ramky.

The scale of the Training Directorate is underlined by the fact that just one of its training camps is currently sending 2,000 Afghans to Syria every week.

IRGC mercenaries are first sent for ideological indoctrination at the Imam Ali Academy in Tajrish, Tehran. They are then sent to one of the following:

Imam Ali Garrison - various

Baadindeh Center in Varamin – urban warfare

Malek Ashtar Camp in Amol – survival training

Semnan Center –missile training

Lowshan Garrison - special training

Telecabin Axis – commando training

Abadan - marine warfare

Ahwaz - marine warfare

Qeshm Axis - marine warfare

Mashhad Center – Afghan forces

Pazouki Garrison – Afghan forces for Syria

Chamran Garrison - Afghan forces for Syria

Shahriar Garrison - Afghan forces for Syria

In addition to the camps highlighted today, the NCRI stressed that the IRGC operates dozens of other similar bases and camps: there are many located near the Iran-Iraq frontier, to enable the Iranian regime to interfere in Iraq's internal affairs.

The IRGC, of which the Quds Force is part, is the bulwark of the religious dictatorship in Iran, engaging in domestic repression, external terrorism and nuclear weapons and missile production, as well as controlling large parts of the Iranian economy.

Location of 14 IRGC Terrorist Training Camps Around Iran