International Iran troops ready to hit Kurds, despite reports of calm

Press, 21 August 1979, Page 8

International Iran troops ready to hit Kurds, despite reports of calm

NZPA-Reuter Teheran Iranian Army units and Revolutionary Guard troops yesterday stood ready to crush what was called a rebellion centred on the Kurdish city of Sanandaj, despite persistent reports reaching Teheran that the region was peaceful.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeiny, moving to crush) ■ll opposition six months i after the revolution that top-) pled the Shah, on Sunday! ordered troops to march on Sanandaj. He said Kurdish I rebels were about to take! the army barracks there. Twelve hours after a gen-1 eral mobilisation order there I was still no word on whether troops had actually entered the city. The local Governor-Gen-eral (Mr Mohammad Rashid Shakiba) told NZPA-Reuter In a telephone call from Sanandaj that there was no i fi hting in the city, and de-1

nied the garrison was surrounded. “I don’t know who told Ayatollah Khomeiny this. It I is’ a total lie. There is no [unrest here. Both the town and the barracks are peaceful, and thr local commander has not asked for [ reinforcements.” I Mr Shakiba’s comments [failed to reach the rest of the country, however, after joun -lists a- the evening [ newspaper, “Etela’At,” decided to suspend the distribution of a special edition giving his version of the situation in Sanandaj. I They said they had decided to drop the special after consultations

with the Government, which rejected Mr Shakiba’s denial. The State radio, which cancelled normal programmes for the second day . running and played revolu- ■ tionary songs between news ■ bulletins, gave no first-hand ■ reports from Sanandaj, capital of Kurdistan province. It d,d, however, read long lists of Revolutionary Guard units throughout the coun- ■ try which had offered to fight in Sanandaj. In Teheran, traffic was held up near one barrack where guardsmen tried to order private vehicles and 1 even buses to take them to the western city.