Militant group kidnaps seven in Iran: Al-Jazeera
LONDON, March 22 (IranMania) - An Iranian Sunni Muslim militant group has said it kidnapped seven Iranians and will kill them unless the government releases five of its comrades, according to a video broadcast on Al-Jazeera television.
The Jundullah (Soldiers of God) said the seven men worked for Iran's army, intelligence service and Red Crescent society and were being held in an unknown location, the Qatar-based channel said.
It then broadcast excerpts of a muted video showing the hostages. Some of were handcuffed and others on their knees, surrounded by masked gunmen.
"The kidnapped identified themselves and pleaded with Iranian officials to help them," Al-Jazeera said.
The video showed the identification cards and papers of the hostages, according to AFP.
The group claimed on January 19 the execution of one of nine Iranian soldiers it kidnapped along the Pakistani border in December. The Iranian government announced on January 29 that the other soldiers were freed.
In its latest video, the group also claimed responsibility for an operation it dubbed Zabol, named after a town in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province near the border with Afghanistan.
The group said 22 Iranian soldiers were killed in the operation, Al-Jazeera reported, without giving further details.
That toll matched the number of Iranian soldiers the Iranian government said was killed in an ambush by Afghan bandits between Zabol and Sistan-Baluchistan's capital Zahedan on Thursday night.
Tehran said the bandits had set up roadside checkpoints and deliberately killed Shiites.
Iran has accused the United States and Britain of sponsoring Thursday's cross border raid that also left 12 people missing and resulted in the death of Zahedan's governor. Tehran also warned Afghanistan and Pakistan to crack down on what it labeled Afghan bandits.
The southeastern province is notoriously lawless and is regarded as a key transit route for opium and other drugs from Afghanistan and Pakistan headed for Europe and the Persian Gulf.
Unlike most Iranians who are Shiite Muslims, the majority of Baluchis are Sunni.
The Jundullah (Soldiers of God) said the seven men worked for Iran's army, intelligence service and Red Crescent society and were being held in an unknown location, the Qatar-based channel said.
It then broadcast excerpts of a muted video showing the hostages. Some of were handcuffed and others on their knees, surrounded by masked gunmen.
"The kidnapped identified themselves and pleaded with Iranian officials to help them," Al-Jazeera said.
The video showed the identification cards and papers of the hostages, according to AFP.
The group claimed on January 19 the execution of one of nine Iranian soldiers it kidnapped along the Pakistani border in December. The Iranian government announced on January 29 that the other soldiers were freed.
In its latest video, the group also claimed responsibility for an operation it dubbed Zabol, named after a town in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province near the border with Afghanistan.
The group said 22 Iranian soldiers were killed in the operation, Al-Jazeera reported, without giving further details.
That toll matched the number of Iranian soldiers the Iranian government said was killed in an ambush by Afghan bandits between Zabol and Sistan-Baluchistan's capital Zahedan on Thursday night.
Tehran said the bandits had set up roadside checkpoints and deliberately killed Shiites.
Iran has accused the United States and Britain of sponsoring Thursday's cross border raid that also left 12 people missing and resulted in the death of Zahedan's governor. Tehran also warned Afghanistan and Pakistan to crack down on what it labeled Afghan bandits.
The southeastern province is notoriously lawless and is regarded as a key transit route for opium and other drugs from Afghanistan and Pakistan headed for Europe and the Persian Gulf.
Unlike most Iranians who are Shiite Muslims, the majority of Baluchis are Sunni.
posted by Marko at 3/22/2006 06:57:00 AM
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