10 killed as bomb tears through Iran military parade
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TEHRAN: A bomb tore through a military parade in Iran today killing 10 people, including wives of two military chiefs, as the country marked the 30th anniversary of the start of the bloody Iran-Iraq war, reports said.
Dozens of people were wounded in the blast, which occurred during an annual military parade in the northwestern Kurdish town of Mahabad, Arabic-language television channel Al-Alam said.
"The explosion happened in the morning as people were watching the military parade and it left ten dead and dozens wounded, mostly women and children. The explosives were in a bag," Al-Alam said.
Provincial governor Vahid Jalalzadeh confirmed the casualties to the official IRNA news agency.
"Counter-revolutionaries committed this savage act with the aim of taking revenge on the people of Mahabad" in West Azarbaijan province, he said.
The attack took place as Iran marked the 30th anniversary of the start of the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, during which army parades are traditionally staged across the country.
Western Iran, which has a sizeable Kurdish population, has seen deadly clashes in recent years between the Iranian security forces and Kurdish rebel groups, mainly the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) operating from bases in neighbouring Iraq.
In Tehran earlier in the day, Iran's top military commander insisted that the Islamic republic's military power was for defencive purposes only.
"The increased military capability of Iran is only a deterrent against aggressors and for defending our country against enemy threats," chief of staff Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said in a speech.
"We can confidently tell people that our military might is superior in the region but our military superiority is not limited to the number of planes and material calculations," he boasted.
Firouzabadi, flanked by Iran's top military commanders, made the speech at a military parade where Iran's long-range Sejil, Shahab-3 and Ghadr-1 missiles were also showcased.
With a range of 1,800 to 2,000 kilometres, the missiles are theoretically capable of hitting Iran's archfoe Israel.
Iraq's Saddam Hussein attacked Iran on September 22, 1980, shortly after the Islamic revolution, starting an eight-year war during which an estimated one million people were killed on both sides.
Dozens of people were wounded in the blast, which occurred during an annual military parade in the northwestern Kurdish town of Mahabad, Arabic-language television channel Al-Alam said.
"The explosion happened in the morning as people were watching the military parade and it left ten dead and dozens wounded, mostly women and children. The explosives were in a bag," Al-Alam said.
Provincial governor Vahid Jalalzadeh confirmed the casualties to the official IRNA news agency.
"Counter-revolutionaries committed this savage act with the aim of taking revenge on the people of Mahabad" in West Azarbaijan province, he said.
The attack took place as Iran marked the 30th anniversary of the start of the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, during which army parades are traditionally staged across the country.
Western Iran, which has a sizeable Kurdish population, has seen deadly clashes in recent years between the Iranian security forces and Kurdish rebel groups, mainly the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) operating from bases in neighbouring Iraq.
In Tehran earlier in the day, Iran's top military commander insisted that the Islamic republic's military power was for defencive purposes only.
"The increased military capability of Iran is only a deterrent against aggressors and for defending our country against enemy threats," chief of staff Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said in a speech.
"We can confidently tell people that our military might is superior in the region but our military superiority is not limited to the number of planes and material calculations," he boasted.
Firouzabadi, flanked by Iran's top military commanders, made the speech at a military parade where Iran's long-range Sejil, Shahab-3 and Ghadr-1 missiles were also showcased.
With a range of 1,800 to 2,000 kilometres, the missiles are theoretically capable of hitting Iran's archfoe Israel.
Iraq's Saddam Hussein attacked Iran on September 22, 1980, shortly after the Islamic revolution, starting an eight-year war during which an estimated one million people were killed on both sides.
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Read more: 10 killed as bomb tears through Iran military parade - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/10-killed-as-bomb-tears-through-Iran-military-parade/articleshow/6607169.cms#ixzz10GXbNB4j
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