Iran Makes Arrests for Sunday Bombing, Focus on Pak
Iran has arrested ‘some people’ linked with Sunday’s suicide bombing that killed dozens of people, including top officers of the elite Revolutionary Guards, in the country’s desert region bordering Pakistan.
“Fortunately, some elements linked to the terrorists have been arrested by the security forces,” the country’s police chief Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam was quoted as saying by the IRNA news agency.
According to reports Tehran is in talks with Pakistan to bring “the main elements behind the terrorist attack” to justice.
Jundollah, a Sunni rebel group, operating in the desert region of Sistan-Balochistan had claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing. Iran said the group operates out of Pakistan.
The Revolutionary Guards, known to be fiercely loyal to seen as fiercely loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, says the militants are backed by the United States and Britain and also have links with Pakistan intelligence. Washington, London and Islamabad have denied the claims.
A top guards commander General Mohammad Pakpour on Tuesday said his force should be given permission to confront the rebels inside Pakistan, state television reported.
Speaking in Islamabad Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi declined comment on the report and said an Iranian delegation was due in Pakistan for talks.
While terming terrorism a regional problem, Qureshi pledged support to help arrest those responsible for the attack, and added that the matter would be dealt with “on a government-to-government basis.”
“What we are asking is that we as neighbors, as friends, as brotherly friendly countries, have to adopt a cooperative regional approach to deal with this menace,” he said.
“Pakistan is suffering, Pakistan is a victim of terrorism,” he was quoted as saying.
