axis
Fair Use Notice
  Axis Mission
 About us
  Letters/Articles to Editor
Article Submissions
RSS Feed


Up to 24 killed, 50+ injured during attack on military parade in Iran Printer friendly page Print This
By Staff Writers | RT
RT.com
Saturday, Sep 22, 2018

Iranian soldiers at the scene of an attack on a military parade, Ahvaz © Behrad Ghasemi / AFP

An army parade in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz has come under attack. Journalists and children are among those shot in an assault that has reportedly left over 20 people dead and more than 50 injured.

Gunmen opened fire from behind the stands during a military parade in Ahvaz on Saturday. The event was attended by members of the local elite, including the Ahvaz governor as well as high-ranking clerics and MPs. Shooting broke out several minutes into the event, which featured troops from the Iranian Army’s 92nd armored division.

The attack has left as many as 24 people dead, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported. Some 53 people were wounded, including women and children. Journalists covering the parade also came under fire.

The assailants were apparently wearing military uniforms, and the attack lasted for about 10 minutes. The agency's Twitter account has released a set of photos showing the aftermath of the assault.

It is said that two out of four attackers were killed as troops and security forces returned fire. Two other assailants were arrested.

According to Irna, the assaults have been claimed by the "Patriotic Arab Democratic Movement in Ahwaz" group. The group blamed for the assault is affiliated with Saudi Arabia, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman Ramezan Sharif said, as cited by Press TV. Other Iranian media also consider the assailants to be linked to the Saudis, Iran’s regional arch rival. There has been no reaction from the Saudi side so far, nor has Tehran elaborated on the accusations.

Iran’s military later said that the terrorists were trained by two “Gulf countries” and had ties to the US and Israeli spy agency Mossad, Reuters reported citing brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi. Neither Washington nor Tel-Aviv have commented on the claim so far and Iran has also not elaborated on the accusation.

The attack comes as the nation commemorates the end of the eight-year Iran-Iraq War that ended in 1988. The anniversary was marked by a grand military event in Tehran, where mobile missile launchers, heavy armor, and troops paraded through the main street of the capital.

During the Tehran parade, Iranian leaders seized the opportunity to send a message to the US. Hassan Rouhani said Iran will never abandon its efforts to develop ballistic missiles, as these are “the most powerful weapons of the Islamic Republic.” He stressed their “defensive” nature, however.


Source URL



Printer friendly page Print This
If you appreciated this article, please consider making a donation to Axis of Logic. We do not use commercial advertising or corporate funding. We depend solely upon you, the reader, to continue providing quality news and opinion on world affairs.Donate here




Featured
AxisofLogic.com© 2003-2015
Fair Use Notice  |   Axis Mission  |  About us  |   Letters/Articles to Editor  | Article Submissions |   Subscribe to Ezine   | RSS Feed  |