Ahvaz military parade attack

On 22 September 2018, a military parade was attacked by armed gunmen in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz.[3][4] The shooters killed 25 people, including soldiers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and civilian bystanders.[5] It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Iran since the Chabahar suicide bombing in December 2010.

Ahvaz military parade attack
LocationAhvaz, Khuzestan Province, Iran
Coordinates31°20′8″N 48°38′38″E
Date22 September 2018 (2018-09-22)
09:00–09:10 (Iran Standard Time)
Attack type
Mass shooting
Deaths30 (25 victims, 5 attackers)
Injured70
Perpetrators Ahwaz National Resistance (claimed responsibility)
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (claimed responsibility) [1][2]
No. of participants
5
Site of attack

The Ahwaz National Resistance claimed responsibility in the name of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz (ASMLA),[6] and the Amaq News Agency attributed it to followers of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which was rejected by the ASMLA.[6] An ISIL spokesman later claimed responsibility and warned of further attacks.[7] Iran claimed the "U.S. and the Gulf states enabled the attack" and it vowed revenge.[8] The American defence secretary dismissed Iran's threat and denied U.S. involvement, saying it was "ludicrous" for Iran to allege U.S. involvement.[9] Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also rejected and condemned the accusation.[10]

On 1 October 2018, in retaliation for the attacks, Iranian Revolutionary Guards fired missiles and carried out drone attacks in Abu Kamal of Syria targeting "militants in Syria it blamed for an attack", Sepah News reported.[11]

Attack

The parade was part of an annual commemoration known as the Sacred Defence Week commemorating the start of the Iran–Iraq War in 1980. It included the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps marching along Quds Boulevard in Ahvaz.[3][12][13] Five gunmen began shooting at the parade from a nearby park on 22 September 2018 at 09:00 local time, wearing military uniforms and disguised as Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and Basiji (volunteers);[14] they also targeted a viewing stand and civilian bystanders.[15][16] The attack lasted about ten minutes.[15]

Casualties

The attackers killed 25 people, including 12 soldiers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a four-year-old boy,[5] with 70 others left wounded, including children.[17][18][19] Many were taken to hospital in critical condition.[20] However, according to CNN, at least 29 people died in the Ahvaz military parade attack. [21]

Initial reports conflicted; Iranian state media said all four assailants had been killed, while local deputy governor Ali Hosein Hoseinzadeh said two were arrested. According to senior spokesman Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, senior spokesman for Iran's armed forces, "All four terrorists were quickly neutralised by security forces".[15][22] Iran news agency’s reports showed that three out of the four assailants were shot dead during the attack whereas the fourth died shortly later in the hospital, according to The Guardian.[23] In a subsequent report, Fars News Agency said a fifth assailant was also killed but was initially mixed up with the victims.[24]

Responsibility

Iranian state media initially reported that "takfiri gunmen" executed the assault.[25]

Two groups claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack, including Arab separatist militant group the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz (ASMLA) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).[26] ASMLA then decided to deny responsibility for the attack.[27][28]

Timeline of responsibility claims
22 September

The claim of responsibility was first made through Iran International TV by Yaqoub al-Tostari, the spokesperson for the ASMLA who spoke to the television on air, on the same day.[29][30] He said the attack was conducted "because of the establishment's tyranny against Ahvazis".[29] al-Tostari also told Reuters that 'Ahvaz National Resistance' (ANR), which he described as an umbrella organization of all armed movements, was behind the attack.[31] ANR is identified as a name used by the ASMLA.[32] Habib Jaber al-Ka'abi, an ASMLA leader based in Denmark, tweeted in support for the attack and said it was against a "legitimate target".[27]

Amaq News Agency claimed that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was responsible and posted videos of three men discussing the upcoming attack. Two spoke Arabic and one spoke Persian.[6][33]

Following the claim by ISIL, Yaqoub al-Tostari who spoke with Al Arabiya television as the ASMLA spokesperson said the ISIL involvement is false, adding that "The commando operation was carried out by the Ahzavi resistance movement. Civilians were killed as a result of indiscriminate gunfire from Iranian security forces", as quoted by BBC Monitoring on 22 September 2018 at 16:17 (GMT).[34]

23 September

A statement on the ASMLA website on 23 September denied responsibility for the attack, saying that the claim was made by a "group that was expelled from the organization since 2015".[35] The denial happened after Iranian foreign ministry summoned the ambassadors of Denmark and the Netherlands in Tehran and protested them for hosting ASMLA.[36]

26 September

On 26 September, ISIL's Al Furqan Media Foundation, which publishes official announcements from ISIL leaders, published an audio statement titled "The Muwahhidin's Assault on the Tower of the Mushrikin" from spokesman Abul-Hasan Al-Muhajir, which claimed "A group of men of the Khilafah and guardians of the creed in the land of Persia have pounced in defense of the religion, acting to deter and suppress their enemy and to fulfill the Islamic State's promise to all who have the blood of Ahlus Sunnah on their hands."[37]

27 September

On 27 September, ISIL's newspaper al-Naba released what it claimed were photos of the five masked attackers.[38]

Reactions

The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei wrote on his website: "This crime is a continuation of the plots of the regional states that are puppets of the United States, and their goal is to create insecurity in our dear country."[22] He also called on security forces to bring those responsible to justice.[22] Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the governments of the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Denmark to "condemn the attack and extradite people linked to it to Iran to be put on trial."[22] British ambassador to Iran Rob Macaire condemned the attack and sent his nation's condolences to the victims' families.[5]

On 23 September, the Iranian ministry summoned the United Arab Emirates' chargé d'affaires in Iran over a tweet made by Emirati professor Abdulkhaleq Abdulla about the attack which said: "A military attack against a military target is not a terrorist act and moving the battle to the Iranian side is a declared option".[39] Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said that Abdulla's comments were "irresponsible and thoughtless" and "could hold Abu Dhabi accountable".[40] Khamenei alleged that the people responsible for the attack were paid by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.[41] The UAE has denied Iranian allegations that it had any links with the attack.[42]

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he was horrified and presented his condolences, while the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the attack and warned those who finance terrorism in the region.[43] Pakistan also condemned the attack through their foreign office's spokesman Mohammad Faisal.[44]

President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea Kim Yong-nam had presented his condolences.[45]

Aftermath

Arrests

On 24 September, Minister of Intelligence Mahmoud Alavi said that most of the persons behind the attack had been arrested.[46] The Iranian intelligence ministry disclosed that 22 people attributed to the attack have been arrested, according to bbc. [47] The United Nations Security Council issued a statement condemning the terrorist attack and calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.[48] General Hossein Salami of the Revolutionary Guard called Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the United States the "evil triangle". He said, "We warn all of those behind the story, we will take revenge."[49][50]

Funerals
Mourners grieve before coffins of victims wrapped in the flags of Iran
Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi, minister of Health and Medical Education of Iran

Thousands of Iranians attended a funeral for the victims on 24 September near Ahvaz's Sarallah Hussainiya.[51][52] Some waved Iranian flags and held photographs of the victims.[53] The funeral was described by ABC News as "a collective outpouring of grief."[49]

Retaliatory missile and drone strikes
Main article: 2018 Eastern Euphrates missile strike

Six Zulfiqar and Qiam missiles were launched on 1 October by the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps[54] from bases in Kermanshah Province against the Hajin headquarters of alleged takfiri militants behind the Ahvaz attack.[55]

According to Fars News Agency, at least one missile was adorned with the slogans "death to America," "death to Israel" and "death to Al Saud.[56] The attack was described as revenge for the people of Ahvaz.[57] Brigadier Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed that 40 "top leaders" of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant were killed in the attack.[58] But according to Colonel Sean Ryan, spokesman for the US-led Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, the attack did no damage at all.[59]

Controversial video

Fars News Agency, described by news media to be a "semi-official" news agency of the Government of Iran,[60] published a video threatening the capitals of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with missile attacks by showing a graphic video of rifle scope closing in into the two cities.[61][62] The video was published as Khamenei blamed Riyadh and Abu Dhabi for the attack.[61] The video was shared on Twitter, but was later taken down.[61]

See also

References
  1. "Iran points finger at Arab separatists for deadly attack". AFP.com. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  2. "The Latest: Boy wounded in Iran parade attack has died". Washington Post. Retrieved 24 September 2018. Arab separatists claimed the attack, which killed at least 25 people and wounded about 60 others.
  3. "Several Killed as Gunmen Attack Military Parade in Iran: State TV". The New York Times. Reuters. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  4. "Several killed, at least 20 injured in attack on military parade in Iran". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  5. Saeed Kamali Dehghan (22 September 2018). "Terrorists kill Iranian children and soldiers in military parade attack". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  6. "Arab Separatist Group Claims Iran Attack". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  7. "Islamic State says Iran attack will not be the last: al Furqan". Reuters.
  8. "Iran fumes at 'bully' US after attack". 23 September 2018 – via www.bbc.com.
  9. Mattis dismisses Iran revenge threat, says U.S. not in attack. Reuters. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  10. Saudi Arabia rejects Iran's claim it backed parade attack. Reuters. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  11. "Iran fires missiles at militants in Syria linked to attack". U.S. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  12. "Several casualties in terror attack on military parade in Ahvaz". Press TV. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  13. "Iran summons Western diplomats over parade attack killing 25". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  14. Hilary Clarke; Hamdi Alkhshali; Jennifer Hauser. "29 killed in attack on Iranian military parade". CNN. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  15. "Iran military parade attacked by gunmen in Ahvaz". BBC. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  16. "Terrorists Attack Crowd of Bystanders in Military Parades in Southwestern Iran". Farsnews (English). Archived from the original on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  17. "Iran. Au moins 29 morts dans l'attentat contre un défilé militaire". Le Télégramme (in French). Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  18. "29 killed, 60 injured in Iran military parade attack on Revolutionary Guards". Al Arabiya English. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  19. Hilary Clarke; Hamdi Alkhshali; Jennifer Hauser. "29 killed in attack on Iranian military parade". CNN. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  20. "At Least 24 Killed in Attack on Military Parade in Iran". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  21. "29 killed in attack on Iranian military parade".
  22. Georgy, Michael (22 September 2018). "Iran's Khamenei blames Persian Gulf Arab states for military parade attack". Reuters. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  23. "Terrorists kill Iranian children and soldiers in military parade attack".
  24. Stewart, Phil; Sharafedin, Bozorgmehr (24 September 2018). "Mattis dismisses Iran's revenge threat as tensions climb after attack". Reuters. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  25. "State TV: Gunmen attack military parade in Iran's Ahvaz". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  26. "Chronology: Iran", The Middle East Journal, Washington DC: Middle East Institute, 73 (1): 122–124, Spring 2019, ISSN 0026-3141
  27. Heras, Nicholas A. (May 2019), "Iran's High Value Target in Europe—Habib Jaber al-Ka'abi" (PDF), Militant Leadership Monitor, The Jamestown Foundation, X (5): 4–6
  28. Kamali Dehghan, Saeed (7 November 2018), "Three held in Denmark over interview praising terrorist attack in Iran", The Guardian, retrieved 20 November 2020
  29. Eqbali, Aresu; Rasmussen, Sune Engel (22 September 2018), "Separatists Launch Deadly Attack on Iranian Military Parade", The Wall Street Journal, retrieved 17 July 2020
  30. "Iran's troubles are mounting at home and abroad", The Economist, 27 September 2018, retrieved 17 July 2020
  31. Sharafedin, Bozorgmehr; El Dahan, Maha (22 September 2018), "Anti-government Arab group claims responsibility for attack on Iran military parade", Reuters
  32. Zambelis, Chris (23 January 2014), "The Struggle for Arabistan: Tensions and Militancy in Iran's Khuzestan Province", Terrorism Monitor, The Jamestown Foundation, 12 (2), retrieved 1 November 2020
  33. "Islamic state's Amaq agency posts video of men allegedly involved Iran attack". Reuters. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  34. Saudi official news agency silent on Iran Ahvaz attack, London: BBC Monitoring Middle East, 22 September 2018 – via ProQuest 2110543857
  35. "Beschuldigde Iraanse oppositiegroep uit Den Haag: "Wij pleegden aanslag niet"". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). Algemeen Dagblad. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  36. "Khamenei appears to point finger at IS for Ahvaz attack", Al-Monitor, 25 September 2018, retrieved 1 November 2020
  37. "Islamic State spokesman touts attack in Ahvaz, Iran". The Long War Journal. 26 September 2018.
  38. "Lo Stato Islamico pubblica la foto dei terroristi di Ahvaz: «Siamo stati noi»". www.ilmattino.it.
  39. The New York Times (24 September 2018). "Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Humiliated by Attack, Vow to Retaliate". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  40. "Iran Summons UAE Charge D'Affaires over Adviser's Remarks". Tasnim News Agency. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  41. Stewart, Phil; Sharafedin, Bozorgmehr (24 September 2018). "Mattis dismisses Iran's revenge threat as tensions climb after attack". Reuters. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  42. "UAE denies Iranian allegations of links to military parade attackers". 23 September 2018 – via Reuters.
  43. "Attaque terroriste en Iran : le président Rohani accuse des " pays mercenaires " du Golfe et les Etats-Unis". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  44. Ali, Kalbe (23 September 2018). "Pakistan condemns attack on military parade in Iran". Dawn. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  45. "North Korea condemns Ahvaz terrorist attack". IRNA English. 23 September 2018.
  46. "Most of those behind Ahvaz terrorist attack arrested: intelligence chief". Tehran Times. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  47. "Iran arrests '22 people' over Ahvaz attack".
  48. "UNSC reaffirms need to bring organizers of terrorist attack in Iran to justice". TASS. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  49. "Wails, vows of revenge at Iran funeral after parade attack". ABC News. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  50. "Iran's IRGC Vows Revenge against Terrorists - Tasnim News Agency". tasnimnews.com. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  51. The funeral of the martyrs of Ahwaz terrorist attack iribnews.ir Retrieved 10 Oct 2018
  52. Funeral of the martyrs of Ahwaz terrorist attack mehrnews.com Retrieved 10 Oct 2018
  53. "Thousands of Iranians attend funeral for Ahvaz attack victims". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  54. "Iran fires missiles at Syria 'terrorists' after deadly attack". France24. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  55. "Iran's ballistic revenge annihilates terrorists; IRGC strikes ringleaders of Ahvaz attack east of Euphrates". Presstv. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  56. Sanchez, Raf. "Iran strikes 'terrorist' targets in Syria in retaliation for Revolutionary Guards attack". Telegraph. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  57. Abedine, Saad; Mullen, Jethro (28 February 2014). "Islamists in Syrian city offer Christians safety – at a heavy price". CNN. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  58. "Iran says missile attack in Syria killed 40 'leaders' of Daesh". Middle East Monitor. 3 October 2018.
  59. "US-led coalition says Iranian missile strike did no damage | Jane's 360". www.janes.com. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  60. "Iranian Seminarians Denounce Anti-Government Protesters". CNN. 12 December 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  61. "Iran Video Threatens Missile Strikes on UAE, Saudi Capitals". Haaretz. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  62. "Iran video threatens missile strikes on Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates". Times of Israel. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.