Iran suicide bombers kill 39
Source: Agencies |
December 16, 2010, Thursday
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TWO suicide bomb attacks outside a mosque killed 39 people and wounded more than 100 during a Shi'ite religious ceremony in the southeastern Iranian city of Chabahar yesterday, local media reported.
Dubai-based al-Arabiya satellite television channel reported that Jundollah, a Sunni Muslim rebel group, claimed responsibility for the bombings outside the Imam Hussein Mosque in Chabahar, near Iran's border with Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The report could not be confirmed independently but the poor province of Sistan-Baluchistan has been the scene of unrest with the mainly Sunni population claiming discrimination by the Shi'ite authorities.
"At least 39 people were martyred after two suicide bombings targeted Shi'ite mourners in front of a mosque in the town of Chabahar," said Fariborz Ayati Firouzabadi, head of the Coroner's office in the province.
The bombings killed many children and women, who attended a Shi'ite religious ceremony to commemorate the death of Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hussein, state television reported.
Iran has faced a string of blasts in past months, including two in June that killed 27 people in the same province. Jundollah had also claimed responsibility for that attack.
Bombings and clashes between security forces, ethnic Baluch Sunni insurgents and drug traffickers have increased in recent years in the area.
Iran says Jundollah has links to Sunni Islamist al-Qaida and has accused Pakistan, Britain and the United States of supporting the group to stir instability in southeast Iran, home to Iran's Sunni minority. The three countries deny backing it.
"America and the Zionist regime (Israel) try to create discord among Shi'ites and Sunnis by orchestrating such bombings," said parliament speaker Ali Larijani, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. "They should know that such measures will not go unanswered."
The United States and Israel have not ruled out a military strike against Iran if diplomacy fails to persuade Iran to halt its sensitive nuclear work, which the West fears is aimed at building bombs. Tehran denies the claim.
Mahmoud Mozafar, head of the province's Red Crescent, said his team had received a number of threats before the ceremony. "We were on alert in the past days because of some anonymous threats," he said by telephone.
Dubai-based al-Arabiya satellite television channel reported that Jundollah, a Sunni Muslim rebel group, claimed responsibility for the bombings outside the Imam Hussein Mosque in Chabahar, near Iran's border with Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The report could not be confirmed independently but the poor province of Sistan-Baluchistan has been the scene of unrest with the mainly Sunni population claiming discrimination by the Shi'ite authorities.
"At least 39 people were martyred after two suicide bombings targeted Shi'ite mourners in front of a mosque in the town of Chabahar," said Fariborz Ayati Firouzabadi, head of the Coroner's office in the province.
The bombings killed many children and women, who attended a Shi'ite religious ceremony to commemorate the death of Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hussein, state television reported.
Iran has faced a string of blasts in past months, including two in June that killed 27 people in the same province. Jundollah had also claimed responsibility for that attack.
Bombings and clashes between security forces, ethnic Baluch Sunni insurgents and drug traffickers have increased in recent years in the area.
Iran says Jundollah has links to Sunni Islamist al-Qaida and has accused Pakistan, Britain and the United States of supporting the group to stir instability in southeast Iran, home to Iran's Sunni minority. The three countries deny backing it.
"America and the Zionist regime (Israel) try to create discord among Shi'ites and Sunnis by orchestrating such bombings," said parliament speaker Ali Larijani, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. "They should know that such measures will not go unanswered."
The United States and Israel have not ruled out a military strike against Iran if diplomacy fails to persuade Iran to halt its sensitive nuclear work, which the West fears is aimed at building bombs. Tehran denies the claim.
Mahmoud Mozafar, head of the province's Red Crescent, said his team had received a number of threats before the ceremony. "We were on alert in the past days because of some anonymous threats," he said by telephone.
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