Commander says no ‘military mafia’ in Iran

          
          Press TV http://www.presstv.ir/pop/Print/?id=106846
          E 1L1F*ITV
          Commander says no ‘military mafia' in Iran
          Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:56:24 GMT
          Amid talks of an exponential growth in the influence of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
          (IRGC) in Iran, the force's chief commander denies the existence of a “military mafia” in the
          country and brings to light an urgency to counter the enemy.
          In an interview with the Jam-e-Jam daily, Brigadier General Mohammad-Ali Jafari said the elite
          military arm had grown in power only because it had to counter exceptionally well-equipped
          enemies inside and outside the country.
          “Only because Sepah [ IRGC] had to fight with empty hands against domestic and foreign enemy,
          equipped with the latest in military equipment, it has turned into an exceptional organization in the
          world,” the IRGC commander said.
          When asked if a possible military pole running large swatches of Iran's economy and politics could
          threaten the country, General Jafari argued that the IRGC is a “popular revolutionary structure”
          and does not have a “military identity by nature.”
          The Iranian commander told the daily that the IRGC bears no similarity to notorious military mafias
          in other countries.
          “The stage where Sepah members operate is a stage without any rivals and for that reason it does
          not need monopolizing. This stage is set for sacrifice and anonymous efforts until martyrdom,”
          Jafari opined.
          Today in Iran, the IRGC is estimated to oversee nearly 130,000 forces, while the Basij forces is
          estimated to number up to 6 million and is active in most cities, towns and villages across the
          country.
          The majority of Basij forces -- who form a smaller branch under the IRGC -- are actively involved in
          volunteer work at mosques.
          CS/MD
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