PERSIANS ATTACKED

Chronicle (Levin), 22 March 1946, Page 5

PERSIANS ATTACKED

KURDISH TRIBESMEN RIS]E Received Thursday, 8.15 p.m. EONHvjN, March 20. A Persian generai staff oflicer stated that air support had been dispatclied ior three Persian garrisons who are iigiitmg off attackmg Kurdish tribesmen near the border of -Iraq.. British sources in Teheran say that there is no indication of ofiensive moves by the Russians in North Persia. , The staif oiiio-er who discrosed that Pcrsia-ns are battling against the ' xvurds said that the garrisons at Sardasnt and Baneh, in Northern Kurdistan, and Sakiz, on tne AzerbaijanAUirdiscan frontier, have been under atc.rck lor a weens but are heldmg out. j_ rj uesfnen lrom iraq are invjlved in tne fighting. Persian agents have also reported .the presence oi strangers speaxing a diaiect similar to that heard 111 North- j ern Azerbaijan. The staff officer estimated that the attackers numbered 3000. The officer, who was addressing a Press coiuerence in Teheran, said that seven Tersrun pranes are operatmg from aerolu omes at ixHmadan ana Kermansnah, : supporting the army in an effort to pievent tribesmen from cutting the srngie mountain road southward to neadquarters. ±ie said that the pianes carried light bonibs and machine-guns. iie was confident that the garrisons were still hoichng out, but heavy snow had prevented roihforcements. "About I ooOO troops are divided between the i garrisons," he said, "while the tribesmen may concentrate an entire iorce against one post at a, time." 1 British sources in Teheran said that a Red Army column is operatmg south of Bake Urumia. They tnougnt that tne columli was engaged in deaiing ■ with "reactionary tribesmen." The Persian Army called for the i conscription oi' youths of 19 and also i the deierred 20-25 group ai'ter news I was received that persian garrisons ! near tne lraq border were fignting off ! iVurdisn trioesinen, says tncT inssociated j x-ress Teheran correspondent. A Per- ! oian stau omcer, Teveamig tnese mea-' Saies, aeciared tnat Iraqi tribesmen, in j addition to tnose from inside Persia, j are in action. i The attacners are believed to be fol- ! iowers oi tne Iraqi brothers, Huliah ' xviustaia Barzam and SheiK Ahmed xiarzani, and oi Hama Raschid Khan jtsaneni, who is a Persian Kurdish chiertain thought to be allied with crhazi Mohaimned. The Barzani brothers, botli outiawed from Persia xor raids against border towns, re- ; entered the country ai ter the Tabriz uo v ernment seized control oi Azerhai ian.

A iormer Persian Premier, Sayyed : Ziaed-h>ine Tabatabi, has been taken 1 into protective custod-y, says the Asso-| ciated Press Teheran correspondent. He ; was tanen to the Porsign Office for i questioning. The Under-fciecretar>y oi ! Btate (Prince Pirouz) said Tabatabi j nad been put under preventive deten- j tion pending an investigation of certain charges. Tne arrest was ordered by the Prime Minfster (Mr. Sultaneh). Tabatabi toid correspondents he had not been toid why he had been arrested, He added: "I think they are arresting me because I am not liked by the Russians. ' ' Tabatabi, who is variously descrihed as anti-Russian, pro-British or intensely nationalistic, was exiled from Persia for 20 y,ears. H$ retui-ned in 1944 as leader of the National Will Party.