Clashes Reported In Iranian City

Clashes between armed militants and police have erupted in the south-eastern Iranian city of Zahedan, state media have reported.

Police sealed off the area and exchanged fire with the attackers after a bomb went off, Irna news agency quoted an unnamed official as saying.

Iranian officials have accused Britain and the United States of supporting ethnic minority rebels operating in the Islamic republic's sensitive border areas.

The explosion and clashes took place just hours after the funerals for the 11 Revolutionary Guards.

The governor of Zahedan, Hassan ali Nouri, told Fars news agency that the explosion was caused by a percussion bomb - a device which produces a large bang but causes little damage.

Provincial police commander Gen Mohammad Ghaffari told Fars that 68 people had been arrested over Wednesday's bombing, including three who are suspected of having carried out the attack.

"The gang has been ordered by some foreign states to plant bombs in specific places and escape the country simultaneously," Gen Ghaffari said.

He added that police had found a number of weapons and explosives in a house "where members of the terrorist group Jundallah were getting prepared for another operation".

Zahedan is the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan province, which borders both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The city has been the focus of low-level unrest, with several security force members being killed in the last two months.

"Generate support by feigning attack?" ............. Think Poland Aug 1939, the raid on the German radio station by the Polish Army (not). It worked well for the nazis, they declared war against Poland for the phoney incident. In Iran we are dealing with people (religious leaders yet)who will kill their own women and children to accomplish their ends. Create an enemy that causes damage to your country and you not only unite the people you control them. "Naturally the common people don't want war. But, after all, it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag people along whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do it tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and for exposing the country to danger. I works the same in every country." .......This from one of the experts on the mater. Herman Whihelm Goering at the Nuremberg Trials.

I hope we are behind this!

Don't dount on it. We have people at top levels of our Govt. who don't know the difference between a Shiite and a Sunni.- tom

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