Armed attack on regional authorities in the road between Zabol and Zahedan (Province of Sistan & Baluchestan)

Iran Press News: Translation by Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi.

The regime-run news agency, ILNA, quoted Hossein-Ali Shahriari, the regimes' representative to the Majles (Islamic Parliaments' Assembly) saying: "Scoundrels and anti-revolution groups dressed in the regime's disciplinary forces uniforms gunned down the commander of the town of Zahedan, his deputies and their company on the road between the towns of Zahedan and Zabol. The commander is the only one who is still alive and in a hospital ICU, in critical condition. This past year, 1384* has been a disastrous year, security-wise for the Province of Sistan & Baluchestan; many of the security and disciplinary forces were assassinated by these types of evildoers." READ MORE

The Sunni group JONDOLLAH MOVEMENT, commanded by Abdol-Malek Rigi has claimed responsibility for the attack and has specified: "Two provincial administrators from Zahedan survived the attack. Seven of the regimes official cars were burnt and 7 people, 2 of whom were high-ranking revolutionary guards, a disciplinary guard and the deputy of the Islamic regime were captured alive. These operations are for avenging the brutal murder of 3 young Sunni men from the Noti'eh Zehi clan of the Sheh-Bakhsh Tribe and who were innocently slaughtered by the regime. Other than that 5 of our compatriots who are presently in prison must be freed within the next few days, otherwise we will kill those who we have in custody."

Within February and March, Jondollah Movement took 8 soldiers and one Sergeant hostage from the Jalegh border patrol (border of Pakistan & Afghanistan). Rigi and the members of the Jondollah were then able to disarm the entire command post. The soldiers who were taken hostage then lead the members of Jondollah to a large depot which contained 2 RPG's, one Doshika with a thousand bullets, 8 Kalashnikov with 4 magazines, one colt .45 with a few rounds, one complete walkie talkie unit, one 60 mortar-shell launcher with 3 rounds, several boxes of tracing bullets, 3 boxes of military bullets and 2 night goggle. Members of Jondollah seized the weapons and arms however the commander of the border patrol was killed.

*The Iranian calendar (also known as the Jalaali Calendar) is a solar calendar currently used in Iran and Afghanistan. It is observation-based, rather than rule-based, beginning each year on the vernal equinox as precisely determined by astronomical observations from Tehran. The Iranian calendar was legally adopted by the Persian Parliament on March 31st, 1925, specifying the adaptation of the calendar from its Zoroastrian origins to the numbering of the year which is representative of the year of Mohammad’s migration from Mecca to Media in 622 CE; the Zoroastrian origins of this is a celebration of the first day of spring, that the year is the “true solar” year “as it has been”, and specifying the month names and the number of days in each month. ON March 21st the year 1384 will officially end and 1385 will begin.