Increasing Security Atmosphere in Kurdistan

Only one day after clashes broke out between unidentified armed individuals and security forces in Saghez, state media sources reported that an explosion 50 meters away from a military parade in the northwestern town of Mahabad killed 12 people and injured 75. Islamic republic officials immediately blamed the “Zionist regime” and “enemies of the revolution” for the explosion. Kurdish activists, however, noted that a fundamentalist “Salafi” group was most likely responsible for the explosion.

Meanwhile, Kurdish political activists and parties issued statements strongly condemning the attack. Kurdish journalists residing in Mahabad told Rooz that the general population of Mahabad was horrified by the terrorist attack. Kurdish journalist Salah Khadiv described Mahabad’s security atmosphere as “normal” in an interview with Rooz, noting, “Five of the individuals killed were Kurdish residents of the Mangour neighborhood in Mahabad, and the rest were relatives of the police, security, and military forces residing in the city.”

The spokesperson for the Organization for Defense of Human Rights in Kurdistan, Ejlal Ghavami, told Rooz, “In the opinion of Kurdish activists and political observers, it is possible that the explosion was carried out by fundamentalist groups in Iran’s neighboring countries, such as the Salafi group.”

Rooz contacted the representatives of Mahabad and Urumiyeh in the Majlis to obtain more information, but they refused to comment on the matter.

Political activist and member of the Komalah party, Mohammad Shafei, described the event as a “unique terrorist” event and “another attempt to subvert the democratic struggle of Iranian Kurds.” Mr. Shafei told Rooz, “For the main root of such events you must look to the policies of fundamentalist groups in the region, whose main supporter is the Islamic republic.”

A Wednesday evening report from the Islamic republic’s official news agency (IRNA) indicated that 12 individuals had been killed and 75 others injured by the explosion. According to the western Azerbaijan province’s governor, the wives of two senior Mahabad military commanders and eleven women in total were among the dead.

According to local media outlets, the Mahabad explosion took place only one day after two people died and several others were injured in a clash between unidentified armed individuals and the local security forces.

Although no group has officially claimed responsibility for the attack (as of the time of this report), Islamic republic officials immediately blamed the explosion on the “Zionist regime’s elements and supporters” and described it as a reaction to the “nation’s defensive might [on display] during the holy war week” and “the successes of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s active diplomacy on the largest international stage in New York.”

The regime is attempting to blame the attack on “enemies” and “Zionists” while some Kurdish political observers and activists believe that the attack was carried out by one of the region’s fundamentalist religious groups.