News

Iran Bombing Kills 5 Revolutionary Guard Leaders

Published

15 years ago

October 19, 2009

A suicide bomber killed five senior commanders of the powerful Revolutionary Guard and at least 37 others yesterday near the Pakistani border in the heartland of a potentially escalating Sunni insurgency.

The attack, which also left dozens wounded, was the most high-profile strike against security forces in an outlaw region of armed tribal groups, drug smugglers and Sunni rebels known as Jundallah, or Soldiers of God.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad promised sharp retaliation. But a sweeping offensive by authorities is unlikely.

Iranian officials have been reluctant to open full-scale military operations in the southeastern border zone, fearing it could become a hotspot for sectarian violence with the potential to draw in al-Qaida and Sunni militants from nearby Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The region’s top prosecutor, Mohammad Marzieh, was quoted by the semi-official ISNA news agency as saying Jundallah claimed responsibility for the blast in the Pishin district near the Pakistani border.

There was no immediate statement directly from the group, which has carried out sporadic kidnappings and attacks in recent years — including targeting the Revolutionary Guard — to press their claims of persecution in the Shiite government and officials.

In May, Jundallah said it sent a suicide bomber into a Shiite mosque in the southeastern city of Zahedan, killing 25 worshippers.

The latest attack, however, would mark the group’s highest-level target. It also raised questions about how the attacker breached security around such a top delegation from the Revolutionary Guard — the country’s strongest military force, which is directly linked to the ruling clerics under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The official Islamic Republic News Agency said the victims included the deputy commander of the Guard’s ground forces, Gen. Noor Ali Shooshtari, as well as a chief provincial Guard commander, Rajab Ali Mohammadzadeh. The others killed were Guard members or tribal leaders, it said.

The agency quoted the provincial forensics director, Abbas Amian, as saying 42 bodies had been handed over to his department.

More than two dozen others were wounded, state radio reported.

The commanders were entering a sports complex to meet tribal leaders to discuss Sunni-Shiite cooperation when the attacker detonated a belt fitted with explosives, IRNA said.

Ahmadinejad — who counts on support from the Revolutionary Guard — vowed to strike back.

“The criminals will soon get the response for their inhuman crimes,” IRNA quoted him as saying.

But controlling the scrubland and arid hills along the southeastern borders is a huge challenge that has been out of Iran’s reach.

Drug traffickers ferry opium and other narcotics through the cross-border badlands — a key source of income for the Taliban in Afghanistan and the ethnic Baluchi tribes that straddle the three-nation region and include members of Jundallah. Iran has pleaded for more international help to cut off the drug routes and criminal gangs.

Iran also has accused Jundallah of receiving support from al-Qaida and the Taliban, though some analysts who have studied the group dispute such a link.

“There is no evidence of outside help for Jundallah from wider militant networks,” said Mustafa Alani, director of security and terrorism studies at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai. “It’s a homegrown group that moves across the borders within fellow Baluchi tribes. It is very hard to control the border.”

In an attempt to boost security in the region, Iran in April put the Revolutionary Guard directly in control of the Sistan-Baluchistan Province in Iran’s southeastern corner.

The 120,000-strong Guard also controls Iran’s missile program, guards its nuclear facilities and has its own ground, naval and air units.

The Revolutionary Guard led the blanket crackdown on dissident after Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election in June. But the attack Sunday appeared to have no link to the political showdowns.

State television accused Britain of supporting Jundallah, without providing any evidence.

The Revolutionary Guard blamed the attack on what it called the “global arrogance,” a reference to the United States.

On the eve of talks about Tehran’s nuclear program, Washington was quick to react.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the United States condemned what he called an “act of terrorism.” Reports of alleged U.S. involvement are “completely false,” he said.

Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani, told lawmakers that the bombing was aimed at further destabilizing the uneasy border region with Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“The intention of the terrorists was definitely to disrupt security in Sistan-Baluchistan Province,” Larijani said.

Iranian officials summoned Pakistan’s charge d’affairs in Tehran to lodge allegations that “terrorists” use bases in Pakistan to carry out attacks against Iran, IRNA reported.

In Quetta, Pakistan, police official Akbar Sanjrani said Iran had closed at least one border crossing. He said Iranian authorities did not give a reason for blocking the route, but Sanjrani speculated it was related to the bombing.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman, Abdul Basit, also rejected Iranian claims that Jundallah’s leader is in Pakistan.

“We are struggling to eradicate the menace of terrorism,” Basit told Geo TV.

The group also has claimed responsibility for a February 2007 car bombing that killed 11 members of the Revolutionary Guard near Zahedan.

Despite Iran’s claims of an al-Qaida link, Chris Zambelis, a Washington-based risk management consultant who has studied Jundallah, said in a recent article that there is no evidence al-Qaida is supporting the group. He does note, however, that the group has begun to use the kinds of suicide bombings associated with the global terror network.

“Jundallah’s contacts with the Taliban are most likely based on jointly profiting from the illicit trade and smuggling as opposed to ideology,” Zambelis wrote in the July issue of West Point’s CTC Sentinel.

News

Kano Gov Congratulates NUJ At 70

Published

10 hours ago

March 17, 2025

The Tide

Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State has congratulated the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on its 70th anniversary.
The governor acknowledged the NUJ’s vital role in strengthening democracy and promoting accountability in governance.
This is contained in a statement by the governor’s spokesman, Sunusi Dawakin Tofa in Kano, yesterday.
The governor lauded the NUJ for its unwavering commitment to ethical journalism and nation building.
He commended the union’s leadership, led by Mr Alhassan Yahya Abdullahi, for advancing press freedom and advocating for journalists’ welfare.
“The NUJ has been instrumental in shaping Nigeria’s narrative, promoting democracy and ensuring accountability in governance.
”The Kano state government recognises the critical role of the media in our democracy and will continue to support and collaborate with the NUJ to uphold a free and independent press,” he stated.
Yusuf urged journalists to continue to uphold professionalism, integrity and objectivity.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to fostering a strong partnership with the union, while ensuring that the media remained a pillar of democracy in the state and the country at large.
“Once again, congratulations to the NUJ on this remarkable achievement. May the next 70 years bring even greater successes and accomplishments for the union and its members,” he stated.

News

Monarch Lauds Fubara On Enduring Peace, Installs Three Chiefs In Ngo

Published

10 hours ago

March 17, 2025

The Tide

The Village Head of Ngo in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, King Dogood Ngere, has commended the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, for his peaceful disposition and leadership qualities in the State.
King Ngere has also appealed to the governor and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to resolve their differences and work together for the interest of peace and development of the State.
The monarch stressed the need for the two leaders to put Rivers State interest above personal interest and reconcile their differences.
He said Fubara’s decision to implement the Supreme Court judgement shows that he is a man of peace and appealed to the Rivers State House of Assembly led by Rt Martin Amaewhule to work with the Executive to move the State forward.
The traditional ruler stated this shortly after he installed three chiefs at his palace in Ngo Town.
The three chiefs are Chief Daniel Dimkpa Nelson of Ebirien Ngere family, Chief John Biboh John of Ngor Egbesi family, and Awajimotumu Ukot Idawaji as chief of Ida Awaji family.
Addressing the new chiefs after their installation, King Ngere charged them to see themselves as role models for their individual families, stressing that as chiefs, it behoves them to be exemplary in their conducts.
According to the traditional ruler, the new chiefs must not only work for the peace of their families but Ngo community in general.
King Ngere also advised members of the three families to give their chiefs the desired respect while also supporting them to succeed.
He commended Governor Fubara for his numerous developmental projects in Andoni, particularly the ongoing Ngo/Oyorokoto Road, saying that when completed, the road will open up economic opportunities in the area.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Secretary of the Egweoke Council of Chiefs, Chief Awajiokan Mbosowo Ukumor, described the installation ceremony as a big success.
He said the three chiefs fulfilled all the conditions for their installation and are therefore admitted as members of the Ngo Council of Chiefs.
The ceremony was attended by people from various walks of life.

News

NDLEA Seizes Large Consignments Of Skunk, Heroin Across Six States, FCT

Published

10 hours ago

March 17, 2025

The Tide

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized large consignments of skunk, heroin, and other opioids in raids across Kano, Kwara, Kaduna, Taraba, Abia, Osun, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
NDLEA’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen in Abuja, yesterday.
Babafemi said that in Kano, a total of 727 blocks of compressed skunk weighing 479kg were recovered from a 40-year-old suspect.
According to him, the suspect was arrested by operatives of the NDLEA at the Chalawa area of the state on March 12.
He added that no fewer than 58,300 pills of tramadol were also intercepted along Kabba-Obajana highway, Kogi, in a commercial bus coming from Lagos, enroute Abuja on March 11.
He added that raid operations in Kachia, in Kaduna on March 13, led to the arrest of a 21 year-old suspect, with 4,900 pills of tramadol 225mg seized from him.
Babafemi said that a similar exercise in the Hayin Banki area of Kaduna North Local Government Area (LGA) on March 14, also resulted in the arrest of another 25-year-old suspect.
According to Babafemi, 2,900 tablets of tramadol 225mg was also recovered from him.
“A total of 40,200 tablets of tramadol 225mg were recovered from the duo of Olowoko Faruk and Akeem Ridwan along Ilorin – Jebba expressway, Bode Saadu, Kwara, on Friday, March 14.
“The NDLEA operatives equally seized 21,700 capsules of same opioid from a suspect, along Eiyenkorin expressway, Ilorin on Thursday, March 13.
“Also, in Taraba, NDLEA officers on Friday, March 14, another 30-year-old suspect, at Bente Road, Kurmi LGA, with 15.77kg of skunk,” he stated.
Speaking further, he noted that agency operatives had also on March 13 in Osun, intercepted a commercial bus with registration number, SGB 564 YS coming from Idumota, Lagos Island.
According to him, the NDLEA operatives recovered a total of 48.7kg Ghanaian Loud, Colorado and Canadian Loud, all strains of cannabis.
“Not less than nine suspects have been arrested in connection with the seizure in Osogbo and Ile-Ife during follow up operations.
“A 58-year-old suspect was on March 11, arrested along Gwagwalada expressway, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, with 27,800 pills of tramadol 225mg.
“Another 26 year old suspect sold was nabbed same day with various quantities of skunk and cocaine at Wuse zone 3 area of Abuja.
“In Abia, NDLEA operatives had also on March 15, raided the Ntigha community, Isiala-Ngwa North LGA, where a 34-year-old suspect was arrested.
“Operatives recovered from him, 274grams of heroin, 141grams of methamphetamine, 2.931kg of cannabis sativa, four grams of cocaine and N753,015 monetary exhibit,” he said.