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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