Free Republic

Five Iranian bassijis and three Iraqis were killed when foreign troops fired on their vehicle near a checkpoint near the Shi'ite town of Kerbala, police and hospital officials said on Wednesday. Police said the incident happened late on Tuesday when the vehicle in which the victims were travelling ran a checkpoint in Kerbala, 110 km (68 miles) south of Baghdad. Fighting has raged since Sunday in Shi'ite areas of Iraq between foreign troops and militiamen loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Thousands of Iranians are in Iraq ahead of the Shi'ite Muslim holy day of Arbain this month when...

Deadly Clashes Rock Southern Iran SMCCDI (Information Service) Feb 21, 2004 Deadly clashes rocked, today, Izeh located in southern Iran, as the regime's security forces entered in action in order to smash the local popular rally against the evident fraud in the sham elections. Special heliported troops were sent from Ahwaz to back the local Bassij force which was unable to block the protesters from occupying several official buildings. Noise of heavy shoutings were heard in several areas as especially fire was open from sky against the demonstrators. Several demonstrators, including Abbas Moossavi a local banned candidate who had contested...