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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