Iranian forces pursue retreating Kurds

          
          © Guardian News and Media Limited
          5/27/2011 Article - Untitled Article
          Publication: Guardian 1821-2000; Date: Sep 6, 1979; Section: None; Page: 7
          Iranian forces pursue retreating Kurds
          From Lie thurgood
          in Tehran
          the Iranian military con
          Ilnued solidale its hold
          on recaptured towns and vil-
          lagen in lturdlstso yesterday,
          as 20,000 —esaed—Kurda were
          repaftedly retreat o the
          amall town of Sardasbt wills
          the Ar my closing In behind,
          The retreat coincided with
          the expolsion of anelber Wet-
          tern correapoadert for its
          cos'era e of the Kurdish rebel-
          lion- 9 terry P f toe
          Ietiddle'East magaatno, baaed l it
          London. was sold this morning
          by a Ministry of Nalianal Gued-
          a r ies official to leave Iran
          within cne week of “Falat
          porting”
          Mr Pesey'n ‘expulsion brings
          the number of Western corres-
          pondenta expelled since June
          to Il Os Tuesday, the Govern-
          meat ordered the Associated
          Preen bureau hen so close,
          Gsvernrssent forces are
          believed to control all strategic
          areas in the western pravtnt-'a
          Of Kurdittan and fit Kurds
          hav, ui'rsated in th ,li—
          Icing mopping-up after Moo-
          day's eollapne of Mahabad. Ibe
          Kurdish stronghold
          f T Iccarding to reports in
          Tehran yesterday, 20,ut o l{ur-
          dish gunmen have ,ioened
          of civilian refugees rnm
          rereotly-caplured Ku r iii ah
          towns and villages. Ltd ta
          heading for Sardaaht, near to
          the Iraqi frontIer, ,Sarda,iht in
          believed to be the last Kucdieh
          ntranghold after six mua$
          intermittent fighting agasnat
          the Government. The Army
          waa repertedly preparing to
          move agaisat the assaIl loon
          yesterday
          - Idahabod was ysalerday an-
          seribcd no almoat deacrted. de-
          spate appeals from the Deputy
          Prime Mtnlatar, Dr Mactaft
          Charmrscs, for the “deceived
          Kurda to return and “repent
          Msdecent action.”
          Contrary to itrst reports,
          Monday's casualties were lighi
          and, it appeared that the
          Pea h Me r g a a two-hour
          each on ge of fire with
          the mililsry was designed to
          allsw the main Ksardlah force
          ta retreat lowerd ht,
          The feared Ayatollah Khalk-
          halt, w lss has sent mere than
          80 Kurda to their deaths, was
          aiq stly planning te leave
          far Mahabad yesterday, despite
          lnatranttens from Tc-hran to re-
          turn to the capital. Ills pre-
          sconce In the province was
          expected to worsen the hoatil-
          ily between the Kurds and con-
          iral aetheritirs.
          In an effort to return
          ICurdintan to normal, the
          I, ,,,, 4iniller Dr Mehdi
          Batergan. lisa met Ayatollah
          Khomeini. A castor Govern-
          mont official who also attended
          the talks later said that mcdi-
          eat aid and load supplies were
          being airlifted Into the pro-
          v lsco where fighting has raged
          for almost three weeks.
          the airlift fottswed an
          earlier pledge by the Prime
          Minister In act aside one dsy'a
          nit revenues (about $65 sail-
          lions), for each province, Ia-
          eluding JCurdttlan However,
          some of I ,.,.. . It. roviacee are
          considerS — mare heavily
          peptolaled than others, and the
          plan has been criticised as
          “unfair,”
          MeanwhIle, - there vvnre mdi-
          cnlisns that the regime was
          lrysg to find a peaceful sotu-
          lien to the problems of an-
          other unhappy ethnic minority,
          she Tuclcomaaa front North-east
          Iran.
          c c or di rig to site Coy-
          ernmsnt newt agency, a aix-
          man team of Mullahs from
          Turkonsan Sabra has arrived in
          Qom far talks with Ayatollah
          Ichoenelni. The talks centre oo
          new development projects for
          the ares and the return of rich
          farmland seized during the
          previous regime and sold
          cheaply to the Shah's farpurite
          relattves and generals
          The arrival at the lean in
          Qom followed unaffiriai reports
          that a unit of Islamic
          guardsmen had been sent to
          C'enbad-r-Kavous, where tight-
          ing flared last April belweon
          the Turkomane and tort-ce
          layst to the Ayatollah,
          A Ministry of AgrIculture
          team left for Gunbad last week
          to “acquaint itself with the
          preblems facing the farmers”
          The Ministry was reported to
          believe that holdings of more
          than 50 heetares should be
          redistributed among the Turko-
          mans, many of wham live In
          poverty.
          the Governments apparent
          slowness in solving the Turks-
          man issue may tie in interde.
          psrtntentsl squabbling. The
          Interior Ministry, ostensibly re-
          spnnaible for internal security,
          Stat understnod to want mere
          gradual change, The Turko-
          mans received 20 per rent or
          alt crops secenlly harvested en
          the area, a figure that the Iblin-
          iatry would like to see in-
          creased to 30 per cant
          stat year.
          Meanwhile, a fire baa been
          raging for I-wa days sear the
          Caspino port cilt- of Enoelt. A
          local official said that the blare
          may have been aluried by
          farmers angered by the Gay-
          rrsment's recent expropriation
          of land In the area, Immedi-
          slot'- after the February upria-
          ing, many villagers catted large
          tracts of rich farmlands thaI
          had been natlosalised by the
          Shah,
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