Explosion rips through Iran military parade

Sep 22, 2010 |

IANS

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A bomb has exploded during a military parade in north-western Iran, killing at least 10 people and injuring 30.

The governor of Azerbaijan province told the Mehr news agency that the death toll could rise because at least four more people sustained life-threatening injuries in the bombing in Mahabad.

Soldiers at the parade were not injured, said Governor Vahid Jalalzadeh, who blamed 'counterrevolutionaries' for the explosion.

The wives of two high-ranking military officials were among those killed by the bomb, which was reportedly planted inside a bag 50 metres from the parade venue.

Military parades were held throughout the country on Wednesday to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the start of the 1980-88 war with Iraq, which Iran calls the 'sacred defence'.

Mahabad has a population of almost 200,000 people, most of whom are members of the Kurdish minority.

Kurds are Sunni Muslims while the majority of Iranians are Shiites. Sunnis make up about 10 per cent of Iran's population.

Kurdish rebel groups in Iran have been at odds with the government in Tehran for decades, seeking autonomy in Kurdish-populated provinces and an alliance with Kurds in Turkey, Iraq and Syria.

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