Iran pounds rebel stronghold in air attack

          
          5/27/2011
          Article - Untitled Article
          Publication: Guardian 1821-2000; Date: Aug 24,1979; Section: None; Page: 4
          Artillery reinforeèmqnts calIc dup
          to. crush Kurdish Insurgents
          Iran pounds rebel
          tronghoid
          in air attack
          From Nassir Sbirkhatl
          in Saqqez
          Heavy fighting was going on
          in this Kixrdish stronghold last
          n&ght guvtrnmeM bell-
          copters pounded rebe l positions
          for the second day ru Sng.
          The town was in Icurdish
          hands but the two sid scrc
          figtvtlng It out with canneD and
          heavy machineguns around a
          government garrison at the
          edge of tuw.n,
          Army sources outside Saqqez
          said yesterday that they were
          waiting for artillery reinforce
          nets to rout the Kurds from
          the town of 4Q000
          The rebels he ld.an important
          road bridge south of Saqqez
          but diplomatic sources said
          Iltat a heavy armoured column
          was heading south from the
          west Azerbalian provinciaL capi-
          ta! of Rezaiyeh.
          Three helicopters were con-
          s antly strafing the town with
          niachinegun fire and the shoot-
          ing was too heavy for rescue
          teams to remove dead bodies
          from the streets. As night fell
          the helicopters began droppIng
          flares every three minutes to
          light up their targets. US-bu ilt
          Air Force Phantom jets buzzed
          the town hut did not open fire.
          More tiran 600 Kurds are
          believed to have b 11 hilled
          since fighting broke cut last
          week.
          An Army officer sa id yester-
          day: “We had no artillery.
          That's why the Words are hold-
          ing the town. If don't have
          artillery we can t get them
          out”
          Kurdish sources inside the
          tOnt i 1 terated claims that
          they had killed 80 government
          troops In fighting yesterday al-
          though the authcrI Vies have
          denied the figure.
          to withdraw the defensive p0 5 1 .
          liens, 19 kin (12 miles) the
          town.
          Khomeini ordered the Army
          and revolutionary guardsmen
          to coordinate their offensive
          and warned “violators and in-
          stigators” in the ranks
          that they would be tried
          as criminals. Strikes in
          the Armed Fortes were
          banned, he said, and “in
          case of suspected conspiracy”
          the offenders would be tried
          by summary courts, The impit-
          cation was that the guilty
          could face the death sentence
          for disobedience.
          Iranian newspaper accounts
          Sl imy fighting erupted in the
          A UNITED STATES spokes-
          man said yesterday that be
          had no information about a
          reported invitation to Mr
          Andrew Young to visit Iran.
          The Iranian invitation -war
          dIsclo,rd I, , a Foreign Minis-
          try spokesman in Tehran. No
          date was announced for the
          proposed visit
          —
          western town of Paveh last
          week have added up to 600
          killed, nearly 200 of them in
          fighting outside Paveh In the
          town of Divan Darreh, Saqq
          and Mahabd.
          In a warning to journalists
          broadcast on Wednesday night
          and repeated yesterday, Kho-
          meini said “I apt announcing
          my support for the law and
          order forces, the Army gen-
          darnierie, police and the revo-
          lutionary guards, and I do not
          permit that the pen should be
          used or steps should be taken
          to weaken them Violators will
          be considered criminals and in
          case of the feeling of a cons-
          piracy (they) wilt be tried in a
          revolutionary court.” - - - -
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          5/27/2011 Article - Untitled Article
          Among the weapons in Khomeninl urged the Kurds
          the hands of the Insnrgents are i n his message to leave the
          Sovlet•ma'de Kwlas'hn Imv auto traitors and join the nation
          ma4le rifles M id RPG .7 roeket. and Islam ” He said that ICurds
          launehers. They have alsGIrwho surrendered with their
          caputure two 106mm rec il1ess weapons would be pardotied.
          rifles from government forces
          The rebels said that the
          Army was within six miles
          of here last night but had I ter
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