The Quds Force (alternatively spelled Ghods or Qods) (Persian: نیروی قدس, translit. Niru-ye Qods, "Jerusalem Force") is a special unit of Iran's Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (Revolutionary Guard). It has been tasked with "exporting" Iran's Islamic revolution, and is responsible for "extraterritorial operations" of the Revolutionary Guard.
The Quds Force reports directly to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Its commander is Major General Qassem Suleimani. While "little is reliably known" about the force, as of 2007, its size was estimated at 15,000 troops.
Read more about Quds Force: History, Mission, Organization, Activities
Famous quotes containing the word force:
“Who shall set a limit to the influence of a human being? There are men, who, by their sympathetic attractions, carry nations with them, and lead the activity of the human race. And if there be such a tie, that, wherever the mind of man goes, nature will accompany him, perhaps there are men whose magnetisms are of that force to draw material and elemental powers, and, where they appear, immense instrumentalities organize around them.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)