Kurds may wage mountain warfare

          
          5/27/2011 Article - Untitled Article
          Publication: Guardian 1821-2000; Date: Sep 8, 1979; Section: None; Page: 7
          Kurds
          may wage
          mountain
          warfare
          From Liz Thurgood
          I n Tehran
          The Prime Minister. Dr
          Bezargan. made an unexpected
          trip yesterday to the Iturdish
          town of Mahabad, the I nst— e l '
          the rebel Western province.
          Dr Bazargen's visit came
          soon after Government troops
          entered the strategic border
          town of Ssrdssht, believed to
          he the last remaining Kurdtsh
          stronghold. Kurdish raltrire
          reportedly !ne!r' when the
          last of several thousand Kur
          dish refugees crossed —Cloy
          • ler into Iraq.
          The Prime Minister was
          accompanied by several aides,
          one of whom was believed to
          be Mr tiashem Sabbaghian, the
          Interior Minister.
          The Govermnent's successes
          in Kurdislan have been given
          pro..L.....,... in the Iranian
          media, but the Kurdrsney
          have been force the
          mountains from which they
          will engage the security forces
          In a long guerrilla war which
          Iran can ill afford.
          t& was not known whether
          the Prime Minister visited
          Mahabad with the blessing of
          Ayatollah Khomeini. If so. the
          clergy may have softened its
          hard stand on the Kurdish
          question. But observfl
          Tehran considered such a man-
          date unlikely, given the Ayatol •
          lab's recent denunciation of
          the Kurdisli Democratic Party,
          whieb—ereised leadership in
          the Kurds' struggle for
          autonomy .
          When the fighting began in
          Kurdistan last month, Ayatol-
          Li. ltl, ,.,, elni ordered Iranian
          air and ground forces treeS
          the insurrection. lie also out.
          lawed the Kurdish Democratic
          Party and e the arrests
          of its leaders .
          Dr Bsaargan was yesterday
          expected to attend memorial
          ceremonies for those killed a
          year ago when the Shah's
          troops killed hundreds of peace.
          ful protesters in a massacre
          now known as Black Friday.
          Yesterday's ceremonies, held
          at Tehran's big cemetery ot
          Behesht-e•Zahra, were led by
          Ayatollah Taleghani in the pre-
          sence of more than one million
          people.
          Despite the claims of the
          Persian-language press and
          State.owned television that
          most Kurds were flocking to
          greet tP 'my as it took over
          the province, independent
          witnesses have reported a
          mood of opposition among the
          Kurds. On Wednesday, 2,000
          !enmr marched through the
          seeets of Mahabad, protesting
          against the presence of Islamic
          Guardsmen in the area and
          calling for the return of KDP
          leaders, Sheikh Ezzeddin
          Hosseint and Dr Ghassemlou
          who were believed to have fled
          to Iraq.
          Meanwhile, Ayatollah Khslk.
          hali, the Islamic Judge who has
          sent more than 80 Kurds to
          their deaths during •Pl flast
          three weeks, arrived in Maim-
          bad yesterday and ordered
          Kurds still holding out in the
          Mt o surrender end band in
          their arms.
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          5/27/2011 Article - Untitled Article
          •Xhalkhali's arrR F1olL ataà
          * telegram to Ayatollah Kho
          mc mi from the Kurds asking
          Mahabad to be spared the sum-
          mary justice of Iran 's revolu-
          a WtJ !d Media Limited
          lapse of Mahabad on Monday.
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