A senior Iranian military officer has lost his life in the battle against the ISIL Takfiri terrorists in Iraq.
Brig. Gen. Hamid Taqavi was shot and killed by one or more snipers "while performing his advisory mission to confront ISIS terrorists," according to a statement from Iran's Revolutionary Guards, which refers to another name for the Islamic State.
Taqavi was a military commander during the 1980-1988 Iraqi-imposed war against Iran.
A funeral procession will be held for Taqavi at 9:00 a.m. local time (0530 GMT) Monday in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
His body will be transferred to and buried in his hometown Ahvaz, southwestern Iran, on December 30.
Iran has repeatedly stressed that it will not interfere militarily in Iraq and Syria, but the Islamic Republic continues to provide support to both countries against ISIL in the form of defense consultancy and humanitarian aid.
At the onset of the ISIL advances in Iraq, the Islamic Republic took rapid steps to mobilize popular forces in the country.
Tehran has also refused to join the so-called US-led coalition against ISIL in Iraq and Syria.