Zolfaqar-2 war games: Mullahs exaggerate troop strength 10 times

Despite all the bluster by the clerical regime's propaganda apparatus, less than 20,000 troops are taking part in the regular Armed Forces' "Zolfaqar-2" exercises along Iran's eastern borders, according to a report by Mojahedin's Command Headquarters inside Iran. This stands in sharp contrast with the mullahs' highly exaggerated figure of 200,000 soldiers.

Since mullahs' Leader Ali Khamenei intends to attend the war games, the clerical regime has not yet announced the exact date of the main exercises, reportedly scheduled for October 4 to 6.

The same reports indicate that the Revolutionary Guards Corps' "Ashura-3" maneuvers, held in the same region in August, involved only 12,000 troops, whereas the regime said 70,000 Guards had taken part.

The mullahs' exaggeration of the dimension of these exercises is but a hollow show of force, designed to cover up the pathetic state of the Armed Forces and the Guards Corps, boost the morale of the regime's disillusioned forces and terrorize and intimidate the public.

The exercises have caused a great deal of furor among people living in the cities and villages in Khorassan and Sistan and Baluchistan provinces, where the maneuvers are being conducted.

People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran
October 1, 1998

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