Kurdish Rebels Tighten Hold on Iranian City

          
          Sanandaj, (API—Revolutionary
          leader Ayatollah Ruhollab Ehomeith
          faced one of the toughest challenges to his
          Islamic state yesterday as Kurdish rebels
          tightened their hold on this provincial cap-
          ital and threatened the military barracks
          after four days of bloody lighting.
          Rebel forces tried repeatedly to over.
          run the barracks but were turned back
          when the government put two tZOkS into
          the battle,
          Tuesday night's shaky stand-down van-
          ished yesterday morning as Kixrdisk rebels
          wearing cartridge bells across their chests
          dodged from doorway to doorway toward
          the garrison. Government bullets cracked
          back at them down the tree-lined streets.
          Boys in their teens and gray-haired
          men nelped distribute arms and ammuni-
          tion and set up barriers near the belea-
          guered barracks.
          Terrified civilians huddled in doorways
          and ambulances and private cars took a
          stream of dead and wounded to the city's
          two hospitals. Many victims were taken to
          private homes for lack of hospital space.
          At least one ambulance driver was shot in
          the bead.
          Appeals for blood donors went out over
          the local radio station, which toe Kurds
          COLatViCTGttlSniIttd truCks.
          An old woman stepped out of tier shop
          to watch the fighting, but ran back in
          when a bullet shattered the window above
          her.
          The government admitted that more
          than 2W) persons were ueau asu cvvrai
          hundred wounded. Independent sources
          here claim at least 200 have died.
          Ayatollah Khomeini appealed for an
          end to the fighting and sent his closet aide,
          Ayatollah Mahmoud Taleghani, head of
          Tehran;s Shiite Muslims. to Xurdistan in
          Northwestern Sf0 try to arrange a
          truce.
          Most of Sanandaj was under the tight
          control of the rebels who received tons of
          food and ammunition from nearby Kur-
          dish towns and villages.
          Kurdish marksmen poured automatic
          weapons fire into the military compound
          from key vantage points. The government
          tanks rumbled out of the barracks com-
          pound, their machine guns and cannons
          blazing.
          The government said armed forces
          commander Gen. Vafi Ul lah Gharani and
          Interior Minister Seyyed Ahmad Sadr-llaj
          Seyyed .Iavadi flew to Kurdistan to try to
          stop the rebellion from spreading. There
          are about four million Kurds in western
          U but about seven million more live
          ver the adjacent borders of Ira q and
          Turkey.
          The fighting in Sanandaj, 250 miles
          west of Tehran, threatened to envelop all
          of Kurdistan province.
          Prime Minister Mehdi Barargan, ad-
          dressing several thousand persons in Teh-
          ran's main sports stadium to mark the
          Persian new year yesterday. said “the Ar-
          my is duty-bound to defend its garrison.”
          Kurdish rebels tighten hold on Iranian city
          The Sun (183 7-1985); Mar 22, 1979; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Baltimore Sun, The (1837-1986)
          pg. A2
          Kurdish rebels tighten hold on Iranian city
          Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.