August 04, 2005
Iran sends in 100,000 troops to crush unrest near Iraq border
From Al-Guardian:
Iran sends in troops to crush border unrest
The Iranian government has deployed large numbers of troops in cities in the northwestern region which borders Iraq in an effort to quell three weeks of civil unrest that has left up to 20 people dead and more than 300 wounded, according to reports from dissident groups.
They said as many as 100,000 state security forces, backed up by helicopter gunships, had moved into the region to crack down on pro-Kurdish demonstrations.
The claims, from Kurdish groups in Iraq, could not be independently verified, and Iranian officials remained silent about the unrest.
The state-owned news agency IRNA said the trouble was due to "hooligan and criminal elements".
News agencies have reported trouble in the northern areas over the past two weeks, though the scale of the unrest has been unclear.
[...]
Iran is home to about 6 million Kurds - almost 10% of the population - who say they face discrimination and repression at the hands of the theocratic rulers in Tehran.
A UN report released last Saturday said authorities were denying basic amenities to Iran's ethnic and religious minorities and in some cases seizing land.
"Regions historically occupied by Kurds ... seem to suffer disproportionate inadequacy of services such as water and electricity and unsatisfactory reconstruction efforts," the report concluded.
But Tehran dismisses such charges and is extremely sensitive about any hint of ethnic unrest, particularly by the Kurds. Anti-government demonstrations are dealt with harshly.
How long can the mullahs hold power when the people hate them?
Look at the mayhem perpetrated by these oppressed souls with mere sticks and stones, literally.
It's distressing to hear about people hurt and killed by this repressive government, but it only shows that the freedom fever pervading Iraq is spreading to Iran.
Let Freedom ring in Iran!
(And if you think the mullahs are really 10 years away from having the Muslim Bomb, I'd like to have some of what you're smoking.)
Maybe if the mad mullahs have to commit their faithful cadres of soldiers to putting down revolts within their borders, they won't have many to spare for the Iraqi "insurgency."
I like the Kurds immensely and will cheer them on in almost anything they do, anywhere.
