MSNBC.com Breaking: 18 killed in bus bombing in SE IRAN

[blitzen]

I guess that means we gotta go fight 'em over in Iran so we don't have to fight 'em over in Iraq...And, what a coincidence, Al-Sadr has been hanging around in Iran lately!



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

[Tin Man]

1. ...maybe the CIA is demonstrating that two can play that game?

[progressivebydesign]

28. I'm terrible, cuz that's what my first thought was. n/t

[stop the bleeding]

2. strategy of tension?

Ledeen?

google is a wonderful tool:) and so are some old DU threads

[Emit]

5. stb, I was thinking along the same lines

And I think it's becoming clearer with the passage of time that the Iranians are going all out to drive us out of Iraq, as I expected they would. As they said they would, even before Operation Iraqi Freedom. I did not think that the possibility of sectarian conflict was as great as it has turned out to be; I did see, and I wrote early on, that the Iranians were going all out to provoke civil wars, all kinds of civil wars: Sunni-Shiite, Arab-non-Arab, tribe vs. tribe and so forth. For quite a long time it didn't work. But it shows you what persistence will accomplish. I mean, they have accomplished many of their objectives.

Ledeen
Iranian regime change: "Faster, please!"
Neocon Michael Ledeen, long a proponent of "democratic revolution" in Iran, weighs the odds of military action by the U.S.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/01/15/ledeen/print.html

[stop the bleeding]

6. yeah we had some conversations here on DU many many moons

ago about South Iran being the place where trouble would find trouble and lead to a general unrest/escalation/excuse

[Emit]

14. Yes, and people would do well to refresh themselves with some of that excellent research

I revisted a few of those threads myself yesterday.



Here's one in particular that is of interest: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2570340&mesg_id=2570340


From a link #80 by lukery on that thread:

He (Vincent Cannistraro) said US-backed Baluchi Sunni guerrillas had been involved in an attack in Sistan-Baluchistan last month in which over 20 Iranian government officials were killed and the governor of the provincial capital was wounded. The Iranian government had blamed British intelligence for the incident.

Interesting that the Baluchis of Iran live in the southeastern tip of Iran. Wonder if it is near to where this attack took place?

From link #86

The Baluchis of Iran live in the southeastern tip of Iran and form the majority of the province of Sistan-Baluchistan which sits along Iran's border with Pakistan. There are also many Baluchis living in the provinces of Kerman and Khorastan. Their history in this region can be traced back as far as the 7th century A.D. They also have kindred groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan. http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:uKDPpQ0PUIcJ:www.asylumlaw.org/docs/iran/mar99_iran_baluchis.pdf+Baluchi+Sunni+guerrillas+&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3

[magellan]

22. A group called "God's Army" or "Jundollah" is from that area

"Jundollah is a salafi group comprising of Sunni Iranians. Mainly baloch tribes of the Sistan va Baluchistan province. It is headed by Abdul Malek Rigi. The group has been involved in clashes with the Shiite government of Iran. This is mainly due to the suppression of the Sunnis by the Iranian government which includes not allowing Sunnis to build mosques in Tehran and limiting sunni religious activity, assassinations of Sunni scholars both inside the country and those in exile by the Iranian regime."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jundollah

I heard a report this morning saying Iran had linked the bombing to a group called "Allah's Army".

[Leopolds Ghost]

33. And they have ties to the Taliban in the essentially nonexistent southern Afghan border. n/t

[Leopolds Ghost]

32. Why, what's going on in south Iran?

The OP mentioned SE Iran, which, I guess, means the arid portion near
Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Wouldn't it be interesting if "Al Qaeda" were eventually thoroughly infiltrated and turned into a weapon of the US State? Our leaders wouldn't have to tell us they killed off the senior leaders already... and were forcing Zawahiri to parrot "liberal media" talking points, like some latter day Emanuel Goldstein...

[Emit]

36. There has been consistent unrest in southern Iran -- both east and west -- for some time now

A lot of Arab and ethnic unrest against the Iranian gov't.

It's complicated. But, this article is pretty comprehensive:

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:0xQz1-3yE_QJ:www.kurdmedia.com/articles.asp%3Fid%3D12522+Ahwaz+protests&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=us

The US has ties to the MEK and to Baluchi and Kurds.

Last year, the Baluchi group ambushed several Iranian government officials in SE Iran, and

On Dec. 16, gunmen opened fire on the motorcade of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as he toured the southeastern province of Sistan, along Iran's border with Pakistan.

According to news reports, Ahmadinejad's personal bodyguard and driver were killed in the ambush, although the president was unhurt. The government-controlled media in Tehran attributed the attack to "bandits," a term used to denote a wide range of armed groups, from drug dealers to opposition guerrillas.

(Hate to use this source, but it was the quickest hit I could find on the subject -- there are other sources: http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:-kHLwC0ZLcIJ:www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/1/23/173442.shtml%3Fs%3Dlh+President+Mahmoud+Ahmadinejad+attack+of&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=us )


The question I keep going over is, "Is it possible that US forces are 'helping' with the unrest -- helping to spur a revolution?" It's a reoccurring theme of Michael Ledeen's.

[blitzen]

3. link here...brief story...targets were Iranian Revolutionary Guards

First strike of the US-IRAN war? Or, "home-grown" dissidents?


http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BLA419280.htm

TEHRAN, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Eighteen people were killed on Wednesday when a bomb exploded next to a bus in the southeastern city of Zahedan, the official IRNA news agency reported.

IRNA said the bomb was hidden in a car by "armed rebels and attackers" and exploded as the bus, belonging to the ground forces of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, passed by. The agency initially said the bomb was in the bus.

[Tin Man]

9. Yep, CIA was putting on a little show for the Iranians...

[MADem]

4. Any more info? What TOWN? Are we talking right over the Shatt?

This could be anything. It's not likely, but it could even be INTERNAL.

I'm hearing that Iran has pretty much taken over a lot of the southern Iraqi towns, which is bad news for Iraq, because they're shy of outlets to the sea...could this be pushback for that?

[blitzen]

8. Zahedan...near Pakistan

[MADem]

10. It was a MILITARY bus, I see...It belonged to the RGs

Bomb Blast in Iran's South-Eastern Zahedan City Leaves 18 Dead

By Ladane Nasseri

Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- A bomb detonated early this morning in Iran's southeastern city of Zahedan leaving 18 people dead, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

The bomb was placed near a bus belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps ground forces, IRNA reported, citing Qasem Rezai, a military official.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aUCx8ke5BH.8&refer=home

If this is us, I'd be a bit surprised. But there's not enough info yet to know much of anything...

On edit--WOW, it was a 'car but NOT suicide' bombing... This is INTERNAL, I'm starting to think...or it could be drug smuggling, but why not just bomb the police station, not go after the RGs??? Ever since the pharmacies got rid of the medicinal heroin for the addicts, and of course the ban on alcohol, the smuggling has gone up and up. ...but I dunno...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17141988/

“This blind terrorist operation led to the martyrdom of 18,” IRNA quoted a Guards commander, Qasem Rezaei, as saying.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The explosion occurred around 6:30 a.m. in Ahmadabad district on the outskirts of Zahedan, IRNA said.

The passenger car stopped in the middle of the road, forcing the bus loaded with Guards to stop. The car’s occupants fled on motorbikes seconds before it exploded, IRNA said.

Zahedan and its surroundings, which lie near Iran’s borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, have been the scene of clashes between police and drug smugglers.....

[Tin Man]

11. My bet: it was us. A case of "trade 'ya" car bomb attacks.

...and it's significant that the bus was filled with Revolutionary Guard. US Govt has been blaming RG for interfering in Iraq.

[blitzen]

12. you're probably right...apparently there have been several bombings there

in the past few years...especially in 2005

[MADem]

13. I edited my bit above, to add the bit from the MSNBC article about the

clashes with the drug smugglers on that end of the border. But I dunno...there's not enough info to really sort it out. The car was placed in front of the bus, but the people who did it weren't martyrs--they believed in "he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day." It was well planned, and precisely targeted.

I just don't know enough to say definitively what I think it is. They're a long way from Iraq, that's for sure. You have to wonder if the Pakistanis are in on this in any way...

[Emit]

16. Here's a map that shows Zahedan

[MADem]

24. I know the area, not well at all, but I've been through there

I spaced out when I read the first account; and was thinking the east end of Iraq, buttting up against Iran.

That's John Baluchi-ville (a lot of the fellahs in that area do look a bit like John Baluchi).

[treestar]

38. Thank you, that is an informative map!

Look how close Baghdad is to the border.

[Emit]

43. Your welcome

The same map is located in this article, which is also informative:

http://www.kurdmedia.com/articles.asp?id=12522

[Emit]

21. More info on who might be responsible

~SNIP~

Iranian officials have repeatedly accused the United States and Britain of stirring up ethnic unrest in Iran and supporting opposition groups. Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province, is home to many ethnic Baluchis, who are mostly Sunni Muslims; the majority Persian ethnic group in Iran is mainly Shiite.

Hossein Ali Shahriari, who represents Zahedan in Parliament, said today that the bombing attack was carried by “insurgents and smugglers who are led by the world imperialism,” a common reference to the United States and Britain. ~SNIP~ The semi-official Fars news agency reported that a Baluchi group opposed to the government, the Jondollah Organization of Iran, claimed responsibility for the attack today.

Baluchis in the region complain of discriminatory and repressive policies by the Tehran government.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/14/world/middleeast/14cnd-iran.html?hp&ex=1171515600&en=df93003be37278f6&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[MADem]

25. Thanks for that article--very helpful reference! NT

[Marie26]

29. Isn't the US supporting MEK?

I wonder if they were responsible.

[Emit]

31. Yes, and according to info in this link, the US has supported the Baluchi group, too

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=206283&mesg_id=212651

Edited to add that apparently, much of the intelligence on Iran that Bushco is pushing is coming from MEK:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=212315&mesg_id=212315

[Marie26]

39. Thanks

Emit, you are the go-to guy on this issue. Thanks for collecting all the information about these groups. I do think that the US is up to some sort of sneaky black op's supporting terrorists in Iran - at the same time that we're accusing Iran of helping insurgents.

From your link: "(Vincent Cannistraro) said US-backed Baluchi Sunni guerrillas had been involved in an attack in Sistan-Baluchistan last month in which over 20 Iranian government officials were killed and the governor of the provincial capital was wounded. The Iranian government had blamed British intelligence for the incident." April 10, 2006 - http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,1750678,00.html

And this latest bombing happened in Zahaden - the capital of Sistan-Baluchistan. So, both of these attacks occured in the same area; it's reasonable to think that the same party is responsible.

[Emit]

42. Thanks, Marie26

:hi:

Edited to add, just trying to figure out what they're all up to.

[Emit]

45. Thought you might be interested in this article, esp. this part

In light of the topic of dicussion. I came across this when reading up on a blog Regime Change in Iran:

~snip~

But the problems with the border are less of a threat to Afghanistan than to Iran, Mr. Zeineddin added, because the Western allies now operating in the region are trying to make trouble for his country.

He alleged that British forces are using the drug dealers in Helmand province for espionage against Iran: "They are gathering information, visiting, making connections, watching us."

At the same time, Mr. Zeineddin said, the United States and Pakistan are supporting the Baloch tribes in their separatist insurgency in southeastern Iran.

"They are raising the Baloch against us," he said, even suggesting that NATO operates training camps for Baloch fighters inside Afghanistan.

~snip~

http://regimechangeiniran.com/2007/02/anxiety-grows-on-irans-eastern/

The entire article is interesting, but this snip is relative to our discussion previously.

[Marie26]

48. You'd think

they'd have learned about the possible consequences of supporting these insurgent groups after what happened w/the Taliban, or the Contras. But we keep on meddling w/these shady characters. I almost wonder if the US wants Iran to think we're behind these bombings, so it gives Iran a reason to make the first strike the neocons seem to want so badly.

[allinktup]

7. And then when they ask Bush about it his response will be

"This is my unites states of... whatever"

[newyawker99]

26. Hi allinktup!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Supersedeas]

15. so goes the Bushist logic

[in_cog_ni_to]

17. Hmmm....how convenient. I wonder if the bus bomb will have USA stamped on it and provoke Iran

to respond?

[malaise]

18. And Cheney doesn't arrive in the region

until next week. WTF!!

[Pawel K]

19. Any more info on this? It sounds like the civil war is spilling over the Iraqi borders

this could be a disaster.

[LSK]

20. or CIA operatives causing havoc

:tinfoilhat:

[MountainLaurel]

30. It wouldn't be the first time n/t

[Richard Steele]

23. This wasn't anywhere near the Iraqi border.

It was near the Pakistani border, way over
on the opposite side of Iran.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[IronScorpio5]

35. Absolutely...

Hindenberg....Mossad !
Titanic.....mossad!
9-11......mossad
Sinking of the Bismark....mossad!
ASHLEY Simpson....Mossad !!
Jock itch....mossad!

thanks

[Anarcho-Socialist]

40. Oh great

The "Joooos did it." :eyes:

[demrabble]

34. And So US Involvement in Iran Begins

And so US involvement in Iran begins.

Does anyone seriously doubt that this act of terrorism was committed by the biggest terrorist state in the world?

[WilliamPitt]

37. Um...folks?

Before any "False flag!" cries go up, research the region. That part of Iran is lawless, violent, and a haven for drug-runners out of Pakistan and Afghanistan. This happens there from time to time.

[Emit]

41. It's an area of unrest for sure

Ripe for neocon involvement.

[Emit]

44. The king of "False Flag!" weighs in concerning the region we speak of

From last spring:

If this administration were true to its announced principles, we would be actively supporting democratic revolution in Iran, but we do not seem to be serious about doing that. Yes, Secretary Rice went to Congress to ask for an extra $75 million to "support democracy" in Iran, but the small print shows that the first $50 million will go to the toothless tigers at the Voice of America and other official American broadcasters, which is to say to State Department employees. The Foreign Service does not often drive revolutionary movements; its business is negotiating with foreign governments, not subverting them. There were whispers that we were supporting trade unions in Iran, which would be very good news, but such efforts should be handled by private-sector organizations, not by the American government per se.

Yet this seems a particularly good moment to rally to the side of the Iranian people, who are known to loathe the regime of Ayatollah Khamenei, and who are showing their will to resist in very dramatic fashion. About ten days ago, seventy-eight regime officials were killed or captured in Baluchistan when a convoy (including the chief of the region’s Revolutionary Guards Corps and the regional governor) was attacked. Some of the captives have been shown on al-Jazeera, pleading for cooperation from the regime, and supporting their captors’ demands that five Baluchi prisoners be freed. The regime has responded by accusing the United States and Britain of masterminding the operation, which is the second such strike in the past six months. In addition to calling for the release of Baluchi prisoners, the insurgents are calling for the toleration of Baluchi Sunnis, the appointment of locals (instead of Persian Shiites) to govern the region, and the use of local radio and television.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/michael/ledeen032906.php3


Ledeen is repeatedly dissing Bush & Co for "not supporting democratic revolution in Iran..." and not moving "Faster, please..." Michael Rubin and others at AEI are equally as critical and openly as eager. The question remains, "How does Ledeen et al. propose that the US support democratic revolution?"

[Marie26]

46. There's been another bombing

today. Same place.

"Bomb explodes in Iran, official news agency says"

A bomb exploded in Iran on Friday not far from the site where an explosion earlier this week took the lives of 11 people, a report by the state-run news agency says.

The explosion occurred in the southeastern city of Zahedan, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. There was no word on casualties.

"Minutes ago, the sound of a bomb explosion was heard in one of Zahedan's streets," the news agency said.

On Wednesday in Zahedan, a bomb in a car blew up a bus owned by Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards. Zahedan is the capital of the Sistan-Baluchestan province, which borders Pakistan.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/02/16/iran-blast.html

[Cocoa]

47. "fight them in Iran so we don't have to fight them in Iraq"

I love that. :thumbsup: