The Associated Press: Sunni insurgent group in Iran
A look at Jundallah, or Soldiers of God, which claimed responsibility for
Sunday's suicide attack that killed at least 42 people in southeastern Iran.
The group claims it is fighting to defend the Sunni Baluchi clans against
alleged discrimination and abuses by Iran's Shiite majority.
Suicide attack targets Iran military corps | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/19/2009
State media said the Sunni Muslim militant group Jundallah, or Soldiers of
God, which operates along the Iran-Pakistan border, claimed responsibility for
the attack.
The organization, part of a regional Sunni insurgency in Shiite-dominated
Iran, has for years kidnapped and killed Iranian soldiers and police officers.
Jundallah has its own agenda in Iran, but its ideology and proximity to the
other militant groups prompted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to
caution Pakistan about cross-border violence.
"We have heard that certain officials in Pakistan cooperate with main agents
of these terrorist attacks in eastern parts of the country. It is our right to
ask [for extradition] of criminals,"
The attack came as the world has been focused on Iran's controversial
nuclear-development program and on widespread protests over vote fraud in
Ahmadinejad's June reelection victory.
The Baluchistan bomber, dressed in a loose white robe, struck during what
was to be a reconciliation meeting between Shiite and Sunni tribesmen to
calm sectarian tensions in southeast Iran.
The region is a tangle of disenchanted clans and sects that say they have
been persecuted for generations by Iran's Shiite majority.
The Revolutionary Guard and hard-line politicians blamed "global arrogance"
for the bombing and said the U.S. was funding and arming Jundallah and
other militant groups to overthrow the Ahmadinejad government.
The accusations came as officials from the U.S. and other world powers
prepared to meet in Vienna today with Iranian delegates over Tehran's
nuclear development program.
Iranian guard leaders killed -- chicagotribune.com
The bombing Sunday highlighted the increasing dangers near the intersection
of Iran and its two troubled neighbors: Afghanistan, where U.S. forces are
battling a resurgent Taliban, and Pakistan, where the military this weekend
launched a major offensive against al-Qaida and Taliban fighters.
Jundallah has its own agenda in Iran, but its ideology and
proximity to the other militant groups prompted Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad to caution Pakistan about cross-border violence.
The attack also came as the world has been focused on Iran's controversial
nuclear development program and on widespread protests over vote fraud in
Ahmadinejad's June re-election.
The issues have put pressure on the president and Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, both of whom have moved to crush internal
dissent while offering a mix of defiance and conciliation with world
powers over the country's nuclear ambitions.
Iran's postelection unrest may have also helped inspire Sunday's bloodshed.
Jundallah had vowed to take revenge against the Revolutionary
Guards for cracking down on protesters marching against Ahmadinejad.
The peaceful opposition movement led by vanquished presidential candidate
Mir Hossein Mousavi never associated itself with Jundallah, but some analysts
suggested the group plotted the attack to exploit the political turmoil at a
time when the Revolutionary Guards are tightening their hold on the country.
Senator Pat Geary: Mr. Cici, was there always a buffer involved?
Willi Cici: A what?
Senator Pat Geary: A buffer. Someone in between you and your possible
superiors who passed on to you the actual order to kill someone.
Willi Cici: Oh yeah, a buffer. The family had a lot of buffers!
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