Araz News: Local sources in South Azerbaijan and Kurdish provinces of Iran report IS supporters began to appear and make some demonstrations in Iranian Kurdish cities as well as some South Azerbaijan regions.

During the last weeks some local sources reported IS supporters who are from Sunni Kurdish community of Iran appeared in Kurdish cities of Baneh and Sanandaj, riding motorcycles having IS’s black flag in hands and shouting IS slogans.

Many eyewitnesses have confirmed the event.

IS supporters also have appeared in Boukan city of West Azerbaijan province in the same way.

Local people say Iranian security forces do not take any action against the terrorist organization supporters.

On the other hand last week some websites claimed that IS men had attacked an Iranian military post on the border of Iraq and West Azerbaijan province. While an IS commander approved the claim on tweeter Iranian officials denied it.

But it seems IS is intended to widen its influence in western Iran because new news of them is coming continuously.

In a recent event they appeared in Urmiyeh city, the capital of West Azerbaijan Province.

According to “West Azerbaijan Youth Union”, a nongovernmental anti-terror organization of South Azerbaijan, on 4th September 22:00, IS supporters appeared in “Abyari Square” of Urmiyeh firing guns into the air. The local source reports based on eyewitnesses the IS supporters then went in the “Nour Mosque” and aired IS anthems from mosque’s loudspeakers.

Nour Mosque belongs to Sunni Kurdish minority of Urmiyeh.

In another event IS supporters have aired IS anthems from several mosque loudspeakers in “Koshtargah” neighborhood of Urmiye on 5th September.

Many members of Kurdish minority reside in the Koshtargah suburb neighborhood of Urmiyeh.

Note that while West Azerbaijan Province is dominantly populated by Shiite Turks (or so called Azeri, even if it is a wrong name), Wahabbi and Salafi extremely orthodox interpretations of Sunni Islam find base among Sunni Kurdish minority of the region. In the recent years and as a result of sectarian tensions in mid-east countries, religious extremism is spreading more rapidly in the West Azerbaijan Province. Now the Wahabbi – Salafi extremists of the province have become supporters of IS.

Interestingly Iranian security forces have not done anything to prevent them yet, which is a serious question in minds.