October 27, 2008	Monday	Shawwal 27, 1429

TEHRAN, Oct 26: Iran is arming “freedom armies” in the Middle East, according to a top commander of the country’s elite Revolutionary Guards quoted by a military website on Sunday.

“Today, not only our armed forces are self-sufficient but the freedom armies of the region get part of their weaponry from us,” said Hossein Hamedani, deputy commander of the volunteer Basij militia.

His comments appeared on the public relations website of the Revolutionary Guards, of which the Basij militia forms a part.

Like those of the Revolutionary Guards, commanders of the militia are appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Hamedani, whose military rank was not provided, did not elaborate further on what he meant by “freedom armies”. But Iran has dubbed Palestinian groups such as the Hamas and Islamic Jihad as well as the Lebanese Hezbollah as “freedom armies” since all have vowed to fight Israel.

Tehran has always maintained that its support to these groups is merely “moral” and that it does not provide them with any military means, despite claims to the contrary by Washington.

After Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003, Iran has been accused by the US of providing arms to guerillas in Iraq, an allegation that has been denied by Tehran.—AFP