Bombardment of a large part of Western and Northern Baluchistan

London, 13 October 2008--Dozens of Baluchi villages have been destroyed in the bombardment of a large part of Western and Northern Baluchistan in the third day of the bombardments. The bombardment began in Dumag after an unexpected encounter between the security forces and guerrilla fighters of People's Resistance Movement of Iran three days ago in a long range of mountains that begin from Zahedan, Capital of Balochistan and continue to the Kerman province in the Eastern part of Iran.

The fighters of PTMI were on their way to carry out a mission in the central part of Iran when they were identified by security forces and the clash began between the two sides. The Baluch fighters claim that they have seen the bodies of more than 50 security forces that have been killed in this event. The Iranian authorities have ordered to complete blackout of the event to suppress the spread of the news of their heavy casualties.

The Iranian regime recently ordered all its different government agencies and media to avoid broadcasting any news that may indicate the weakness and inadequacies of the military and security forces. The directive ordered the media to only broadcast that part of the events that shows the strength of the security forces and avoid publishing the number of casualties.

According to the latest news, the Baluch fighters PRMI claim to have organised another planned attack on SarJangal military base in the East part of Baluchistan, near Khash. The fighters claim that they have used heavy weaponry including missiles to destroyed base. The attack on the base was planned at three o'clock in the morning last week. The mission was complete in few hours and the fighters retreated to their base while the government began to deploy a large number of forces around the base and started to bombard the neighboring areas. The local people complained that some innocent people have been killed in the bombardment and some properties were also destroyed.

At the same time the People's Resistance Movement of Iran announced one of its top weapon makers has been assassinated in the 11th of October 08. Osmaan was one of the top experts in Bomb making, explosives, repairing guns, and other weapons. He had already trained dozens of the members of this group. This organization believes in training its forces in various guerrilla wars and therefore claims that the assassination of Osman will not affect its ability and capacity for making more weapons and explosives for the next missions. They believe that he has been betrayed and consequently he has been assassinated by someone they believe has been identified. Further investigations continue.

Today the local people in Zahedan and the Western part of Baluchistan reported that the heavy bombardment in Rood Mahi Mountains still continued. The sound of gunfire also was reported by the local people who are trying to leave their villages for safety of the cities. The Islamic Republic of Iran has tried in the last 30 years to push the Baluch people out of their traditional and old homes and villages into the big cities but later on, they discovered the rate of unemployment among people who have been dislocated was too high and their young men were disappointed from the governments and a large number of them joined the Baluch fighters.

The Baluch fighters are engaged in guerilla war with the Iranian regime. They demand equal rights for the Baluch people and democracy for Iran. The Shia fundamentalist regime of Iran has practically deprived all the Sunnis including the Baluch people from their basic human rights which are right to education, freedom of movement, freedom of speech and freedom of worship.

There are more than two million Sunnis in Tehran but there is not even one Sunni mosque for them to carry out their prayers. The Sunnis of Tehran gathered in a park to pray but they were forced to leave the park. There are about 20 million Sunnis in Iran. There has not be even one minister, deputy minister, army general, ambassador or any other high-ranking officials from the 20 million Sunnis of Iran in the last 30 years. At the same time there is a lot of pressure on the Sunnis to convert to shiism.

There are widespread campaigns in different parts of Iran by different ethnic groups and nationalities, students, workers, women, intellectuals and journalists for the change of this regime which has created a society in which about 60 percent of the people live under poverty line and has the highest inflation rate in the region, and the fourth highest in the world. The Islamic Republic of Iran has kept deliberately Baluchistan backwards and all United Nations researches show that it is the poorest province in the country while its students have the highest IQ in the country.

Reza Hossein Borr
Baluchistan Peoples Front
London, 13 October 2008