TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state television is reporting that a four-day, limited drill for border guards has begun in five provinces near the Islamic Republic's border with Iraq.
The report quoted border guard chief Hossein Zolfaghari as saying that the drill began Sunday. Zolfaghari said the drill is designed to enhance the level of preparedness on the country's border and that more than 4,000 border guards will take part.
Zolfaghari also said this maneuver includes drones, bulletproof cars and balloons.
Iran fought an eight-year war with Iraq in the 1980s, though relations have warmed recently.
Iran's borders have been a route for weapons smuggling. Recently, an al-Qaida-affiliated militant group kidnapped and later released Iranian border guards it captured along the country's lawless frontier with Pakistan.
