http://www.smh.com.au/world/pilgrims-from-iran-caught-up-in-conflict-20120805-23npp.html Pilgrims from Iran caught up in conflict Date, August 6, 2012 Patrick McDonnell Dozens of Iranian pilgrims, like these visiting a shrine in Iraq, were kidnapped in Damascus on Saturday. Photo: Kate Geraghty
BEIRUT: Gunmen kidnapped dozens of Iranian pilgrims on a trip to Syria on Saturday, the latest in a series of abductions that have targeted citizens of Iran, a major international ally of the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad. The pilgrims - their numbers were variously reported as 47 and 48 - were kidnapped by ''armed opposition groups'' as they were heading from the airport in Damascus to a home in the suburbs, the official Iranian news service reported. All were planning to visit a Shiite Muslim shrine in the southern outskirts of Damascus. Fresh battles were reported in Aleppo, where rebels are seeking to control the city. News agencies reported that government artillery and helicopter gunships pounded rebel positions. Humanitarian agencies have expressed concern about the fate of civilians, where severe shortages of bread and fuel have been reported. Thousands of people have fled Aleppo, the country's biggest city, but many remain there and are possibly in harm's way, the United Nations. The abduction of the Iranian pilgrims underscores how the crisis in Syria has had profound repercussions beyond its borders. On Saturday, Iran's Foreign Minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, telephoned his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu, calling for the ''prompt intervention of Ankara'' to release the Iranian pilgrims, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Turkey has hosted opposition members and is believed to have considerable influence with groups fighting to oust Mr Assad. But opposition fighters are decentralised and include militias that report to no central command. Turkey's mediation has not led to the release of 11 Lebanese Shiite pilgrims kidnapped in May. The hostages, whose capture has prompted street protests, were reportedly being detained by Syrian insurgents in rebel-held areas near the Turkish border. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians travel each year to the Sayyida Zainab shrine, a major Shiite monument south of Damascus. Los Angeles Times Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/pilgrims-from-iran-caught-up-in-conflict-20120805-23npp.html#ixzz22gp1e9Xn [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
