Iran has reportedly deployed an elite counterterrorism unit to protect its newly appointed Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, following the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a US-Israeli strike carried out under Operation Epic Fury. The move comes amid reports that Mojtaba Khamenei was injured during strikes on Feb. 28 that killed his father, wife and several other family members. However, a senior Iranian leader dismissed the claim and said the younger Khamenei is “safe and sound.”
Since being declared supreme leader on Sunday, the 56-year-old cleric has not addressed the nation or issued a written statement.
Iran’s black-clad Counterterrorism Special Force, known as NOPO, has been tasked with safeguarding him, Fox News Digital reported.
“With (Ali) Khamenei gone, NOPO will likely now be protecting Mojtaba Khamenei,” Fox News Digital reported, quoting Ali Safavi, an official with the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, or NCRI.
The NOPO force, established in 1991, is an elite Iranian riot police unit operating under the Special Units Command. It is considered among the most highly trained special forces within Iran’s policing system. Although officially responsible for hostage rescue operations, the unit has frequently been deployed to suppress protests.
According to reports, NOPO has been involved in the crackdown on the 1999 student protests, the 2019 unrest and the protests that followed the death of Mahsa Amini. The unit has also been accused by rights groups of serious human rights violations.
“NOPO is the Farsi acronym for Nirouyeh Vijeh Pasdaran Velayat, which translates into the Special Force to Protect the Supreme Leader,” Safavi said, adding that “Velayat is not necessarily the supreme leader but the entirety of the regime.”
Safavi said the force has evolved over time into a specialised unit distinct from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which was established in 1979 to protect Iran’s political system.
According to him, NOPO consists of six brigades — four based in Tehran and one each in Mashhad and Isfahan.
“They are far more lethal, ruthless and well-trained than the IRGC,” he claimed. “This force was used for the protection of Khamenei.”
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
