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Iran changes Revolutionary Guards commander
Iran's highest authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Saturday replaced the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, a force U.S. officials have said Washington may label a terrorist group.Guards commander-in-chief Yahya Rahim Safavi was replaced by Mohammad Ali Jafari, who has been a commander in the Guards, Khamenei said in an order reported by state television. No reason was given for the move. "Regarding your valuable experience and shining background at different times, and varied responsibilities in the Guards, I appoint you (Jafari) ... as the commander-in-chief of this revolutionary service organization," Khamenei said. Khamenei said Safavi, who commanded the Guards for 10 years, would become his senior adviser on armed forces affairs. The Guards are an ideologically driven force set up shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution to act as guardians of the Islamic Republic. The force has a separate command structure from the regular military and answers directly to Khamenei. Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-09-01 |
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