Two powerful explosions, believed to be suicide bombings, killed at least 27 people and injured 275 more in Zahedan, the capital of Iran’s Baluchistan. The Sunni Baluch militant group Jundallah took responsibility for the blasts.
The first bomb went off at the city’s Grand Mosque at 920pm local time on Thursday. The second blast went off at the same place within minutes of the first blast.
Jundallah, whose leader was executed in Tehran last month, said the blasts targeted IRGC officers gathered at the mosque to celebrate the birthday of Shia’s revered Imam Hussein. No independent report on IRGC casualty was available.
UPDATE: The two powerful explosions at Zahedan’s Grand Mosque were the result of suicide bombings. Jundallah, which took the responsibility for the bombings, has identified the two suicide bombers believed to be among the dead as Mohammad Rigi and Mojahed Abdelbaset. Jundallah referred to Rigi and Abdelbaset as teenagers, without disclosing their age. There was no information about any possible family ties between Mohammad Rigi and Junadalla’s former leader Abdelrahman Rigi who was executed in Tehran last month.
The blasts left 27 dead, and more than 300 injured. 11 of the injuries have been described as critical and life threatening. 137 of the injured have already been released from hospitals.
The suicide bombings happened when pilgrims had filled the Grand Mosque to capacity in observation of the birthday of Imam Hussein and the Pasdar (“IRGC”) Day. There are reports of casualties among IRGC officers who were in attendance to observe the Pasdar Day.
UPDATE: In the aftermath of the deadly suicide bombings in Zahedan, the city’s representative in Majlis, the Iranian parliament, resigned his post in protest to what he called the government’s inability and unwillingness to protect his constituents. Dr. Hussein Ali Shahriari, the Zahedan deputy and the chairman of Majlis public health committee, said in his resignation letter that he had warned the security officials many times that a terrorist attack was inevitable, with Rigis wanting to prove their continued existence, but no heightened security measures were taken, resulting in the tragedy that left 27 people killed and hundreds injured.
9 comments:
Iran should have had an open trial for the leader of Jundallah, this way the whole world would have read his confession. Sometimes it seems that Iran's PR effort is very poor and not effective, take the UN Ambassador his command and eloquent of the English language is very poor and during the sanctions debate seemed to be mumbling like a small child, it is time Iran invested in some proper PR company to direct it. In times like this you need to take the Zionist PR networks head on and this is no easy task!
Iran should treat the families of the Bombers like Israel does.... destroy their homes and deport them (family first and second grade)over the border.
It is very effective...., even the drugs given to these potheads, would not be strong enough for them to forget how their families would pay.
Dariush London
how do you say ,
thou shalt pay for this FAHAD in saudi arabic
iran must take action in direct to distroy jundalan base infrastraction that will involved us base too. this can not acheived just distroy jundala base ,i believed iran next plan will be havey damaged intire usa spy sell in afghanistan and pakistan will be forced which the supperiem leader has been given green light to strike in the hart of usa base and uae too. this will be in reality by next week. i believe intire usa embassy bomb and usa bases in persian gulf area by next week.
Darius London,
The Islamic Republic has had more than 30 years to develop Baluchistan, and it is not too late now. Instead of destroying houses, the government needs to build many more. Baluchistan is one of the least developed and poorest regions of Iran. Adding to this, there is a strong feeling of disenfranchisement on part of the Sunni and Baluch minority. These are the factors that create the conditions for insurgency. It is so easy to consider the military/security solution as the only solution, ignoring the root causes.
Interestingly enough, some of the folks who always criticize US role in Afghanistan, seeing Taliban problem as mainly a political/governance issue, and criticize the primacy of military/security approach to the problem, do exactly that when it comes to Iran and its underdeveloped (economically as well as politically) regions of Baluchistan and Kurdistan. It's high time for the central government to come up with a comprehensive plan for these regions that includes security concerns, but is built around economic and political (sense of fair play for the minorities) development. That's the way to defeat Jundallah in the long run. For every house the government destroys, there would be tens of new insurgents born.
Uskowi,
A country as big as the whole of western Europe in size, with an income much much less than countries like Germany ,France and UK, means development is slower.
Nice words and as you so eloquently put it " Sloganeering" does not develop, and a broken window in a classroom does not justify terrorism.
Nahid /Hamburg
Nahid / Hamburg,
I do not know if and when you have visited Baluchistan, but the problems are much worst than a broken window in a classroom, by an order of magnitude!
Nothing justifies terrorism, lack of development, religion or discrimination based on nationality. But nothing justifies government's disastrous development policies, and lack of, in Baluchistan. And this is not just Ahmadinejad's administration. All the governments in the Islamic Republic followed shah's model of totally ignoring development of border regions. There are consequences to bad policies, foremost among them in this case is the rise of an insurgency.
Uskowi,
Magnifying Irans Baluchistan problems into a monstrosity as you seem to be doing... promotes terrorism.
Those,who committed this crime were trained and drugged by foreigners.. and the problems you talk about were not their objective.
Yet again, its your site and I shall succumb.
Nahid / Hamburg
Nahid/Hamburg,
No need to succumb. Your powerful and thoughtful comments on this blog have always been inspiring and source of good debate. My only regret is we stand on the opposite sides of the current political conversation in Iran.
Foreigners were not training people in Isfahan or in Tehran. If they could start their training programs in Baluchistan, as you say, then the objective realities on the ground should have been ripe for them.
Looking at the realities in Baluchistan is not justifying terrorism, but criticizing lack of government initiatives in the region.
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