8 border guards killed in northwest Iran clash

Eight border guards were killed during clashes with militants in northwestern West Azerbaijan province Friday, according to semi-official IRNA News Agency.

The clashes took place in Chaldoran area.

Iranian border guards pursued the terrorists in the mountains near the Iraqi border, it said.

Tehran has often accused elements of the Kurdish Democratic Party -- some of whom are located in Erbil in northern Iraq -- of carrying out armed operations in Iran's West Azerbaijan.