Iranian Army Moves West To Stifle Kurdish Revolt

          
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          TEHRAN. July 22 (UP 1) — iranian
          troops launched a large-scale opera-
          tion against Kurdish rebel forces in
          western Iran today after several
          weeks of low-key reaction to a grow-
          ing revolt by autonomy-seeking guer-
          ril las.
          Meanwhile, revolutionary courts in
          Tehran and the southwestern city of
          Ahwaz executed two women and three
          men on charges ranging from prosti-
          tution to murder. The executions
          brought the count since February to
          378. six of them women.
          Government spokesman Sadeq Ta-
          batabai said government forces had
          ended a four-day ICurdish siege on
          the national police base at Serow, less
          than a mile cast of the Turkish fron-
          tier.
          Tabatabai said Iranian Army units
          had moved into virtually all sensitive
          areas of Kurdish-populated western
          Iran to restore peace.
          The Army began its move into the
          troubled region as Maj. Gen. Nasser
          Farbod resigned Saturday as chief of
          - staff and was replaced by Brig. Gen.
          Hossein Shaker, reputed to be a hard-
          liner.
          Iranian newspapers speculated that
          Fat-bod's departure was linked to the
          appointment of a clergyman, Sayyecl
          A u Khamenei, as defense undersec-
          retary and I”arbod's reported weak-
          ness in controlling the unrest in
          sensitive border provinces.
          Kurdish politicians, meanwhile, ac-
          cused authorities of flouting a month-
          old ‘verbal agreement” which gave
          the Kurcis authority to manage ICurd-
          ish cities without. intervention from
          police or armed forces.