Four Iranian pilgrims shot dead in Iraq by US forces (Iranian Source)

IRNA (Iranian News Agency) ^ | 7 April 2004 | Unknown

[Cap Huff]

Baghdad, April 7, IRNA --

Four Iranian pilgrims were killed and three others injured by US forces, the official in charge of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs Organization in Kerbala announced Wednesday.

A vehicle carrying 11 Iranian pilgrims enroute from Najaf to the holy city of Kerbala, was targeted by US military forces, Hossein Vaezi said regretting that the four passengers were killed and three others were injured. The Iraqi driver of the vehicle was also killed during the attack, he added.

The bodies of those killed and the injured Iranian pilgrims are kept in al-Hussein hospital in Kerbala, the official said.

Meanwhile, two Iranian pilgrims were shot dead and injured in clashes in the holy city of Najaf on Sunday. Iran's Interior Ministry Tuesday called on Iranian people not to travel to Iraq under the current critical conditions in that country.

The ministry stressed, in a statement, that with respect to the critical conditions and lack of security in Iraq, those willing to make pilgrimage in that country are recommended not to travel to Iraq.

Over 120 Iranians kept in Iraqi jails, official says Baghdad, April 7, IRNA -- Iran's Charge d'Affaires to Iraq Hassan Kazemi Qomi said here Wednesday that over 120 Iranian nationals are presently being kept in prisons in different cities of Iraq.

He told IRNA that about 80 prisoners are pilgrims who have illegally travelled to Iraq to visit the holy shrines. However, he noted, a number of Iranians are in prison in Iraq for drug-related offenses.

The official further remarked that the charges brought up against many Iranians have not been proven by Iraqi judiciary.

According to the Charge d'Affaires, the conditions of Iranian prisoners are constantly being checked by the Iranian Embassy officials.

[Cap Huff]

This "Charge d'Affaires to Iraq Hassan Kazemi Qomi" is the guy mentioned in this thread as being a link to the terrorism in Iraq:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1112423/posts

[Cap Huff]

FYI

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Donate Here By Secure Server

[Cap Huff]

Let's make that link hot:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1112423/posts

[Unicorn]

Stay in Iran.

[b4its2late]

Iranian Pilgrims..... Yeah, right.

[Coop]

I wonder if these "pilgrims" were all relatively young Iranian males carrying automatic weapons?

[rageaholic]

As far as the press goes, dead terrorists are always either "pilgrims" or "civilians."

[DadOfFive]

"Smile when you say that, Pilgrim."
-the Duke

[Oldeconomybuyer]

"Pilgrims".

Got it.

[noDixieCan]

According to a blogger from Iraq, said pilgrims are Iranian intelligence agents.

[Amelia]

"They weren't helping the Shiite militias, they were just innocent religious pilgrims."

Wrong place, wrong time, doing the wrong thing, I'd wager.

[trebb]

Soon, Reuters will be changing its term for terrorist from freedom fighter to pilgrim...

[Mark17]

Iranian Pilgrims..... Yeah, right.

Remember, this is the Iranian News Agency, so reporting might tend to be just a tad bit slanted toward the terrorists.

[Cap Huff]

This is an AFP story referencing this Qomi guy from about 14 March 2004:

IGC chief in Iran for talks on border control

TEHRAN: The head of Iraq’s interim Governing Council, Shiite Muslim cleric Mohammed Bahr Ulum, arrived in Iran on Saturday for talks on bilateral cooperation over oil and control of their common border.

Ulum was accompanied by a delegation that included two other members of the US-appointed council intended to shepherd Iraq to democracy: Samir al-Sumaydah, a Sunni Muslim charged with fashioning Iraq’s new media laws and Ahmed Shayah al-Barak, a Shiite head of a lawyers’ union and human rights league, said the state news agency IRNA.

They are to meet with a number of senior Iranian leaders over the next five days, it said, adding that they were to have met with President Mohammad Khatami on Saturday afternoon.

An Iraqi ministry adviser who did not wish to be named told AFP earlier that the talks would focus on the “control of the common borders, the organisation of Iranian pilgrimages to the Shiite holy sites in Iraq and cooperation on oil.”

The Iraqi interim council wants to cooperate with Iran to prevent the infiltration of “foreign terrorist elements and to better organise the stay of Iranian pilgrims,” the ministry adviser added. Citing Iran’s charge d’affaires in Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi, IRNA also said the visit would aim to reinforce bilateral cooperation, particularly on Shiite pilgrimages to holy sites. —AFP

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_15-3-2004_pg4_15

[ArrogantBustard]

Travelling to visit the Shrine of the Holy Kalashnikov?

[joesnuffy]

Four completely innocent pacifist peace working deeply religious helpfull pilgrims
who were on their way to minister to the sick, disabled, and orphans....

[MinuteGal]

Pilgrims Progress......stopped dead.

Leni

[sheik yerbouty]

They should be pleased. Are they not with Allah?

[Boot Hill]

You are doing a good job of tracking down the Iranian connection behind the current unpleasantness.

Last night on the radio, I heard an "intel" report that our G2 guys near Fallujah had intercepted radio communications from the so-called militants, located inside the city, that were being spoken in Farsi, the Persian language of Iran.

Have you heard anything about that?

--Boot Hill