Local security conflict

An Iranian border guard has been killed in an armed clash with members of an anti-Iran Kurdish militant group in the western province of Kermanshah, near the border with Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.
Provincial border commander Brigadier General Kiasat Sepehri said Sergeant First Class Reza Daraei Emarati was killed while border guards were confronting the militants during a patrol near the city of Paveh in the early hours of Friday, Press TV reports.
Sepehri said Iranian border guards repelled the attack and prevented the militants from infiltrating the country.
He added that Iranian border guards continue to closely monitor and protect the border areas between Iran and its neighbouring countries.
According to Press TV, Kurdish separatist groups designated as terrorist organisations by Iran have been active along the country's western and north-western borders for years.
The broadcaster said the groups have carried out attacks on Iranian security forces in Kurdish-majority regions of western and north-western Iran.
In late February, five Kurdish separatist groups, including the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), announced the formation of a political coalition aimed at challenging Iran's Islamic establishment and seeking the separation of Kurdish-populated areas from the rest of the country, Press TV added.
News.Az