Ten Revolutionary Guard members including two officers were killed when their helicopter was shot down by insurgents on Saturday.
Iranian news reported that 17 “terrorists” were eliminated during the fighting.
A helicopter hovers over Tehran in December 2005. Insurgents shot down an Iranian helicopter today in northwest Iran killing 10 Revolutionary Guard members including two commanders. (AFP)
Iranian Bazteb news reported that ten Iranian Revolutionary Guard members were killed when their helicopter was shot down today in northwest Iran:
Ten Killed in IRGC Helicopter Crash
Some sources cited technical problems as the cause of the explosion. But certain terrorist organizations claimed that the helicopter exploded after they targeted it with US made SA-7 rockets.A helicopter of the Islamic Revolution’s Guards Corps (IRGC) crashed northwest of Iran on Friday in which two IRGC commanders and eight forces were killed.
The helicopter was on a mission at Khoy region, East Azarbaijan province, where it had to make an emergency landing immediately after which it was exploded. All IRGC forces on the board including two commanders were killed instantly.
Some sources cited technical problems as the cause of the explosion. But certain terrorist organizations claimed that the helicopter exploded after they targeted it with US made SA-7 rockets.
Saeed Ghahhari, commander of the 3rd army of IRGC and Brigadier Hanif Dorosti were among those killed.
Meanwhile, clashes have been reported between the Iranian military forces and PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) separatists in Jahannam-darreh, near Khoy, in the past two days during which some 20 PKK terrorists have reportedly been killed.
Last week, a driver of a PKK leader revealed that the US military commanders are in contact with leaders of the PKK terrorist group which is in the US State Department’s list of terrorist organizations.
Kamangir has more from Iranian websites on this “Extraordinarily Ordinary” crash.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards carry rocket-propelled grenade launchers as they participate in wargames near Qom on 20 February. Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards on Saturday have killed 17 rebels described as opponents of the Islamic republic in clashes in a remote area close to the Turkish border.(AFP/File)
The BBC reported on the rebel casualties from the clashes:
The Iranian military has killed 17 rebels in the north-west of the country, state media have reported. A unit of Revolutionary Guards attacked the rebels in a remote area near the Turkish border, IRNA news agency said.
A military helicopter involved in the operation crashed in bad weather killing a Guards commander on board, Fars news agency reported.
There have been previous clashes in the area between Iranian security forces and militants linked to Kurdish groups.
“The Revolutionary Guards besieged these elements and started neutralising them,” IRNA quoted a Guards commander as saying.
“In this operation at least 17 mercenary anti-revolution elements were killed and some were injured.”
The International Herald Tribune says Iran has pinned down the culprits behind the attacks:
“Greedy enemies … the Americans, the British and the Zionist regime, having seen their objectives fail in the Middle East and region, are seeking to incite insecurity on Iran’s borders,” IRNA quoted Safavi as saying.
Safavi also vowed to crush the rebels.
“Iran’s enemies, through hiring some mercenaries and with their wishful thinking, want to create instability but … the armed forces will strongly suppress anti-revolutionaries and rebels who are dependent to foreigners,” Safavi was quoted by IRNA as saying.
Besides the sporadic violence in the southeast, ethnic Arab Sunni militants have been blamed for bombings in the southwestern city of Ahvaz — including blasts in 2006 that killed nine people. Iranian Kurds based in northern Iraq have also stepped up incursions into Iran.
Azerbaijan News is also carrying the story today.
Aljazeera has a report on the clashes saying the regime is “cleaning up the area” of insurgents.
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