Suicide bomber kills 20 in attack on Iran Guards | Reuters
* Five (5) Senior Revolutionary Guards Elite Commanders killed
(One of the commanders was mediating between Shi'ite and Sunni tribes.)
* 60 people die or wounded at meeting of tribal chiefs
* State TV says Sunni rebel group suspected
* Revolutionary Guards blame foreign elements linked to U.S.
* Instability deepens in Pakistan, Afghan border area
(Adds Revolutionary Guards comment, state TV report)
By Fredrik Dahl
TEHRAN, Oct 18 (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed around 20 people,
including
two senior Revolutionary Guards commanders, in southeastern Iran
on Sunday, Iranian media reported.
Another 40 people were wounded in the most severe attack on the
Revolutionary Guards in recent years.
State television suggested that a Sunni rebel group called Jundollah (God's
soldiers) -- linked by some analysts to the Taliban in neighbouring Pakistan --
was the likely suspect for the attack.
"Attacker detonated explosives strapped to his body during gathering of tribal
heads," state Press TV said in a headline, adding that civilians and tribal
leaders were also among the victims.
The Revolutionary Guards blamed "foreign elements" linked to the United
States for the killings, which underlined deepening instability in Iran's
southeast bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Tehran accuses the United States of backing Jundollah to create instability in
the country but Washington denies this.
State broadcaster IRIB said the attack occurred in the morning at the gates
of a conference hall in the city of Sarbaz in Sistan-Baluchestan. The province
is the scene of frequent clashes between security forces, Sunni rebels and
drug traffickers.
The two high-ranking commanders were the deputy head of the Guards'
ground forces, General Nourali Shoushtari, and the Guards' commander in
Sistan-Baluchestan province, General Mohammadzadeh, news agencies
reported. Shoushtari was also a senior official of the Guard's elite Qods force,
media said.
State TV said several senior officers were killed, but did not give additional
names.
Citing authorities and experts, a presenter of English-language Press TV
said "the finger of accusation is directly pointed at the Jundollah group,"
referring to ethnic Baluch insurgents who have been blamed for previous
attacks in the region
Some analysts believe that Jundollah has evolved through
shifting alliances with various parties, including the Taliban and Pakistan's ISI
intelligence service, who saw the group as a tool against Iran.
Predominantly Shi'ite Muslim Iran has also linked Jundollah to the Sunni
Islamist al Qaeda network. Most people in Sistan-Baluchestan are Sunni Muslims and ethnic Baluchis.
Recap:
Oct. 11th
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/wo...a/12pstan.html
Among those killed in the attack was Brig. Anwar ul-Haq, the director of
security for military intelligence. He was shot in the first hour of the siege by
one of the gunmen who had penetrated his building, according to relatives of
the brigadier who attended his funeral Sunday.
When Brigadier ul-Haq heard shooting, he interrupted a conference he was
conducting and went into the corridor with an aide, according to the
relatives’ accounts. When he saw a man in military uniform with his back
turned to him, the brigadier told him to flee, but instead, the man turned
around and shot the brigadier, the relatives said.
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