Parliament blames Afghanistan for regional insecurity

The Iranian parliament (Majlis) has announced plans to arm volunteer forces (Basij) in 30 villages of the country’s eastern border area with Afghanistan, in an effort to bring about security in the region, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported on Monday. The move comes after the Majlis blamed the prevailing insecurity along the country’s eastern borders on what it called “the major drug producer, Afghanistan”. Mohsen Mirdamadi, head of the Majlis Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, said security issues plaguing the borders, particularly drug-trafficking and armed banditry, needed to be dealt with seriously. According to the report, Mirdamadi blamed Afghanistan for 80-90 percent of the security problems along the border. To date, Basij forces in 15 villages had been given arms while the rest will be armed within the coming weeks, the report said.