Three Americans Detained in Iran

The region southest of Sulaimaniyah on Iranian border
near Iranian town of Marivan
(Google Earth)

Kurdish mountainous region near Sulaimaniyah

A Scene from Ahmed Awa
Three American hikers were detained after crossing Iranian border across Ahmed Awa


Iran has arrested three Americans hikers who crossed the border with Iraq at the picturesque Ahmed Awa, about 90 km (55 miles) southeast of Sulaimaniyah in autonomous Kurdistan region. The three are believed to be held in the local border police station.

Beshro Ahmed, media adviser for the Kurdish region, told reporters today that the two men and a woman, Shane Bauer, Sara Shroud and Joshua Fattal, had entered from Turkey earlier along with a fourth American, Shaun Gabriel Maxwell, who did not join the trek because he was ill.

"On Thursday, three of them went to the summer resort at Ahmed Awa," Ahmed said [AFP, 1 August].

Ahmed Awa is a cool and heavily-forested area. The mountainous region has several youth hostels, one of which the three American tourists stayed at. The nearby border with Iran is not clearly marked.

The group was in contact with their companion in Sulaimaniya until about 1:30 p.m. Friday, when they reported they were “surrounded by Iranian soldiers,” an official told CNN. After that, no further communication was received [CNN, 1 August].

MSNBC Report on the Incident