Civilians caught in Gulf war

Press, 12 January 1987, Page 8

Civilians caught in Gulf war

NZPA-Reuter Bahrain Iran and Iraq have reported mounting casualties in civilian centres hit by enemy bombs or missiles, as ground fighting continues on the southern Gulf war front. At least 80 Iranian students died or were wounded yesterday when a missile hit their school at Borujerd, in mountainous country south-west of Teheran, said Iran’s I.R.N.A. news agency. Another 40 people, mostly women and chil-

dren, died in an air attack on residential areas of Esfahan, south of Teheran, the agency said. Rescue workers were searching for other possible casftalties. Earlier, I.R.N.A. reported that an Iraqi missile hit a school for mentally retarded children at Navahand, south-west of Teheran, but listed no casualties. Iran protested to the United Nations yesterday at Iraqi attacks on civilian centres. A note submitted to the Secretary-General,

Javier Perez de Cuellar by Iran’s permanent envoy called the Iraqi action “atrocities contrary to all accepted international norms,” I.R.N.A. said. Baghdad communiques said 20 civilians died and 100 were wounded in Iranian artillery attacks on the city of Basra and the nearby towns of AlQurnah and Al-Zubayr. Iraq reported on Friday that 16 civilians had been killed and 64 wounded in shelling of Basra. Both. sides report that

heavy fighting continues in an area of the southern front, where Iran launched a new thrust across the border into Iraq last Friday. Iranian military communiques said at least 9500 Iraqi troops had died in two days of fighting and 21 enemy planes were shot down. Iraq said yesterday that its troops held the war front initiative and were in full control of the battle.

Iraqi commanders said one of their armoured divisions had counter-at-

tacked on the eastern bank of the Fish Lake, near Shalamcheh, where Iranian forces seized Iraqi territory in Friday’s attack.

Iraq said only two of its planes had been lost, one on Saturday and one on Friday, and reported two Iranian F-5 Phantom jets shot down in dog fights over the battle zone.

Iraq says the Iranian assault is aimed at capturing Basra, which has a population of one million, and setting up a puppet regime.