IRGC Commander Downplays Conflict With Taliban

Following the killing of at least three during clashes with Taliban forces, the commander of the IRGC Air Force said Monday that “such conflicts should not be overstated.”

Amir Ali Hajizadeh said of Saturday's clash: “Some people are to turn these conflicts into a war, but such a war will never happen."

Two Iranian border guards and one Taliban fighter were killed after shooting broke out near a border post. It was not immediately clear what had caused the incident, in which several people were also injured, but it came amid tensions over water rights.

Iran has accused Afghanistan's Taliban of violating a 1973 treaty by restricting the flow of water from the Helmand River to Iran's parched eastern regions, an accusation denied by the Taliban.

Hajizadeh admitted only that “there have been some incidents on the border that are being managed by the forces there, and we should not add fuel to the fire," in a bid to downplay the escalation.

Regime voices including Esmail Kosari, a member of Iranian Parliament’s National Security Commission, have also massively understated the killing and wounding of Iranian border guards saying it was a "disagreement and fighting between children of the same household", suggesting the regime is working hard to ensure no further escalation.

His statements angered many Iranians saying there is no similarity and brotherhood between Iranians and the Taliban militants who have been responsible for years of brutal atrocities against the Afghan people.