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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Death toll from Iran gunfight rises to 26 |
| 2009-05-03 |
| The death toll from a fierce gunbattle between Iranian police and Kurdish rebels in the western province of Kermanshah last week has risen to 26, the ISNA news agency reported on Saturday. Of those killed in the April 24 clash near Ravansar close to the Iraqi border, 18 were policemen and eight were members of the Kurdish rebel Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), provincial justice chief Allahyar Malekshahi said. "Five people suspected of participating in this terrorist attack have been arrested and are under investigation," he said. Iranian state television said last week that 10 policemen and 10 rebels were killed. Western Iran, which has a sizeable Kurdish population, has seen deadly fighting in recent years between Iranian security forces and PJAK rebels operating out of rear-bases in neighbouring Iraq. The group is closely allied with the Turkish Kurdish rebel group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey all have significant ethnic Kurdish minorities. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 I stand corrected. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-05-03 22:22 |
| #4 These are Kurdhish communists. If the Iranians wipe them out, I would not shed any tears. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2009-05-03 20:21 |
| #3 Wrong, RJ. The Kurdish Rebels need more training. Enough so that next time, the results are more 180 police/soldiers killed, five rebels dead. The Kurds have a distinctive lifestyle they want to maintain. None of the countries where they're currently residing is willing to leave them alone. The result is constand bloodshed and insurrection. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2009-05-03 15:54 |
| #2 Seems obvious the police need army combat training. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-05-03 13:23 |
| #1 18 were policemen and eight were members of the Kurdish rebel Party Trouble in Paradise? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-05-03 03:58 |