© 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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