Sunday, October 18, 2009

The Baluchs in Iran and Pakistan

Back in June, my column in the Register Guard was about the Sunni and Baloch minority in Iran.  I pointed out there that the Balochs are a minority in both Iran and its neighboring Pakistan, and:
Third, and most important, a group called Jundallah claimed responsibility for this blast. Jundallah, which means “soldiers of Allah,” has gained strength in the post-Sept. 11 years. Jundallah claims to be fighting the Iranian government to secure equal rights for the Sunni and the Baloch people.

Well, I wake up this morning to NPRs news that Jundallah carried out a suicide bombing attack that killed several commanders of the Iran's Revolutionary Guard.  Here is the BBC:
Iranian state television said 31 people died in the attack, in the Pishin region of Sistan-Baluchistan, and more than 25 were injured. ... The deputy commander of the Guards' ground force, General Noor Ali Shooshtari, and the Guards' chief provincial commander, Rajab Ali Mohammadzadeh, were among at least six officers killed, state news agency reported.

No comments: