Jets strafe crowd

Press, 7 June 1982, Page 6

Jets strafe crowd

NZPA Ham, Iran Iraqi jets bombed ’and ■strafed Ham in western Iran at the week-end while the streets were packed with demonstrators, killing 43 people and wounding more than 150 others. Local residents told reporters that two MiG fighterbombers had dropped about eight bombs in the centre of the town before sweeping low several times to fire at the panicking crowd.

Thousands of residents of the city, less than 50km from the Iraqi frontier, had turned out for pro-Government rallies as in many other Iranian cities.

It was the anniversary ofwhat is called the start of the Islamic revolution, marking the day in 1963 when Ayatollah ‘Ruhollah Khom’einy went into exile in Iraq.

In a narrow street littered with glass, brick rubble and burnt-out cars, a teacher. Ali Abdullah, said the planes seemed to have sought out the most crowded parts of the town.

“They aimed straight at the parade. There were people falling down everywhere." he said.