http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/07/201071518824599686.html
Thursday, July 15, 2010
22:57 Mecca time, 19:57 GMT
Deaths in Iran mosque attack
Two explosions at a mosque in southeastern Iran have killed at least 20 people
and injured more than 100 others in suicide attacks, Iranian officials say.
The blasts late on Thursday targeted Shia Muslim worshippers and Revolutionary
Guards members in the predominantly Sunni city of Zahedan, Sistan-Baluchestan
province, the Fars news agency quoted Iran's deputy interior minister as saying.
"Hours ago, a suicide operation was carried out in the Jamia mosque, which left
several martyrs and several wounded," the agency quoted Ali Abdollahi as saying.
"The first explosion took place behind a checkpoint and a number of
Revolutionary Guard members were killed and injured because of it."
'Co-ordinated attacks'
Hossein Ali Shahriari, a Zahedan member of parliament, told Fars that there
were two suicide attacks one after another, with the first one carried out by a
bomber dressed as a woman.
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"The attacker, dressed in women's clothing, was trying to get in the mosque,
but was prevented" when the first blast took place, Shahriari said.
"When people came to rescue those hit in that blast, another bomber blew
himself up. Three to four have been killed at least in the first attack."
Zahedan has been repeatedly hit by attacks blamed on Jundallah(Soldiers of
God), a Sunni rebel group which plays on feelings of resentment among ethnic
Baluchis in the province and whose leader Abdolmalek Rigi was hanged on June
20after he was captured in a dramatic operation by Iranian agents.
Soon after his death, the group vowed to avenge his execution.
Jundallah has carried out several deadly attacks in Sistan-Baluchestan-
including on the elite Revolutionary Guardscorps.
The group says it has been fighting for nearly a decade to secure rights for
Sunni Baluchis who form a significant proportion of the population in the
province.
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