Iranian Army regains garrison from Kurds

          
          Iranian Army regains garrison from Kurds
          The Sun (1837-1985); Aug 26, 1979; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Baltimore Sun, The
          pg. A2
          (1837-1986)
          Iranian Army regains
          garrison from Kurds
          Saqqez, S M_ I AP)—A column of 200
          tovernment troops smashed through
          Kurdish rebel lines to relieve a besieged
          garrison here yesterday, but the fight for
          the town ragedot
          A Kurdish leader promised “all-out
          war” to Sake the Kurt' autonomy-
          ninded province ‘the graveyard” of
          Iran 's Is la mic regime.
          Helicopter guoships, supersonic jets,
          tanks, róekèts and heavy artillery have
          tgured in.the battle, which has continued
          ;mce Thursday. Yesterday, parts of Saq-
          ez were in rubble, and its one hospital
          was filled with the wounded and dying.
          Therewas no estimate of casualties,
          )ut they were believed high on both sides.
          !wtostof the civilians who could get out had
          f led.
          ;The state radio issued an urgent appeal
          for doctors and nurses to volunteer to be
          Eltiwn a,. located in a valley in
          western tsaidtbegarrisonandthe
          o*n were in ire need of medical help.
          Abdol Hahztan Qassemln secretary-
          g&nerai of the banned leftist -or iented
          Kurdiab Democratic party Central ‘Com-
          mittee, said in an interview in Mahabad
          that “there are 100,000 armed Kurdish
          men who, are willing to die for their
          ideals ?'
          “We will make Kürdistan the grave-
          yard of the reactionary regime,” Mr. Qas-
          sem ite vowed..1'We know the central gov-
          ernment is not as strong as it pretends to
          be. Wait till we start an all out war and
          then the Tebran government will realize
          what revolutionary potentIal the Kurdish
          people have?'
          He said there will be new battles
          throughout Kurdistan, and that the Kurt
          have already begun executing revolu-
          Lionary guardsmen in retaliation for the
          executions of Kurds.
          The 4 million Kurt in with 8 mil
          ion brethren in iraq and Turkey, have
          reamed of an independent state. In
          urdish leaders had hoped for auton-
          nny after the revolution led by religious
          eader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini top-.
          )led Shah Mobarnrnad Reza Pablavi last'
          winter. ‘
          But open fighting has broken out be-
          ;ween Kurt and the new regime, and
          kvatollah Khomeini has mobilized the
          armed forces to crush the rebellion.
          Yesterday, in a spEech at Qom broad-
          east over state radio, the ayatollah de-
          nounced “democrats and Intellectuals”
          and accused them of responsibility for the
          problems in Kurdistan. He said they
          ivant to give away the country under the
          guiseof democracy.”
          By early yesterday, the garri-
          son had been surrounded by. forces
          for two days.
          The relief column—regular troops and
          revolutionary guards in trucks, armored
          personnel carriers and tanks—barreled
          lhrough the Kurdish lines at top speed,
          raving heavy fire. The Kurt destroyed
          me tank In the fight, then tightened their
          lefenses and kept control of the roads and
          rugged terrain nearby.
          All the while, both sides poured fire at
          each other. As dawn broke yesterday the
          Kurt intensified their counter-attack
          with rifle-propelled grenades, mortars
          and cannon. -
          Most of the buildings near the com-
          pound had been destroyed already.
          The few civilians remaining in Saqqez
          :ould see the fight from a vantage point
          )verlooking the fringe of the garrison. The
          relief column was believed to have
          reached the area under cover 07 darkness
          aboard helicopters capable of carrying
          heavy equipment and armor. With their
          help, the defenders were thought to num-
          ber about 700.
          Mr. Qassemlu, In the interview, said
          the Kurt are prepared for a “long drawn
          nut *ar. We will not let the war be limited
          to Saqqea.”
          L(aSish women and children of Saqqez, iran, are evacnnted by Army helicopter to safer area 's ' fighting costtaees.
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