Bandits kill 22 in southeast Iran - officials
TEHRAN, March 17 (Reuters) - Bandits killed 22 people in a region of Iran known for sectarian clashes between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims, local officials said on Friday.
The attack was in an impoverished province close to Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is home to many of Iran's minority Sunnis and police have often clashed there with drug traffickers from across the borders.
"Armed bandits attacked ordinary people on Thursday night. They killed 22," said an official in the city of Zahedan.
Seven other people were injured and one was in critical condition. Semi-official Mehr news agency said Zahedan's governor was among those injured.
Police Chief Esmaeel Ahmadi Moqaddam told state television the aim of such attacks was to spark civil war between Shi'ites and Sunni Iranians.
He accused the British military in Iraq of cooperating with the bandits.
"We have information that the bandits had meetings with British intelligence services," he said, adding that security had been stepped up in the area. Another local official said the bandits had fled to a neighbouring country.
Iran also blames Britain for unrest in its restive and mainly Arab southwestern province of Khuzestan, across the border from southern Iraq where British troops are stationed. Britain denies supporting the Arab rebels. (IRAN-BANDITS, Writing by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by Dominic Evans, Tehran newsroom +98 21 8850 0085))
The attack was in an impoverished province close to Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is home to many of Iran's minority Sunnis and police have often clashed there with drug traffickers from across the borders.
"Armed bandits attacked ordinary people on Thursday night. They killed 22," said an official in the city of Zahedan.
Seven other people were injured and one was in critical condition. Semi-official Mehr news agency said Zahedan's governor was among those injured.
Police Chief Esmaeel Ahmadi Moqaddam told state television the aim of such attacks was to spark civil war between Shi'ites and Sunni Iranians.
He accused the British military in Iraq of cooperating with the bandits.
"We have information that the bandits had meetings with British intelligence services," he said, adding that security had been stepped up in the area. Another local official said the bandits had fled to a neighbouring country.
Iran also blames Britain for unrest in its restive and mainly Arab southwestern province of Khuzestan, across the border from southern Iraq where British troops are stationed. Britain denies supporting the Arab rebels. (IRAN-BANDITS, Writing by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by Dominic Evans, Tehran newsroom +98 21 8850 0085))
posted by Marko at 3/17/2006 08:43:00 AM
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