The Ground Forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have begun conducting major counterterrorism exercises in the country’s southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.

According to The Iran Project, the forces’ commander, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour said on Friday that the drills were underway involving the servicemen enlisted with the IRGC’s Quds Headquarters.

He said the drills had been scheduled to go underway later this month, but were launched on October 26 following a foreign-backed terrorist attack on a police convoy in the province that claimed the lives of 10 police forces.

The "ongoing" exercise, said the commander, feature identification, pursuit, and destruction of some foreign-backed terrorist teams. 

"It is being conducted in a real operational environment and will continue in several phases until specific operational objectives are achieved," he said, adding, "Currently, there is no set end date for the exercise."

According to Brigadier General Ahmad Shafayi, the headquarters’ deputy commander, the drills had so far led to the arrest of eight members of four terror teams and elimination of four other terrorists.

Those eliminated included a major member of the terrorist outfit that perpetrated the attack on Iranian security forces in the province’s city of Taftan on October 26, the official stated on Friday.