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Police and bandits clash in Iran, 19 dead
Iranian police have killed 12 armed Afghan bandits in several operations in the northeastern Khorasan province over the past two days, the official IRNA news agency said on Wednesday.
Iranian police have killed 12 armed Afghan bandits in several operations in the northeastern Khorasan province over the past two days, the official IRNA news agency said on Wednesday.
Eight hostages held by the bandits were released during the gun battles, the agency said. One policeman and three Islamic militiamen were killed in the fighting and a "sizeable" amount of arms and ammunition were seized.
Armed bandits in Iran's eastern frontiers are often engaged in the drug trade and their hostage-taking is almost always drug-related.
Iran lies on the main drugs transit route from Afghanistan and Pakistan, the so-called Golden Crescent, to the lucrative markets of Europe and oil-rich Arab states.
Some 3,100 Iranian policemen have died in drug-related battles with smugglers and bandits over the past 20 years. Iran spent around $20 million last year to seal its borders with drug-infested Afghanistan and armed thousands of villagers to combat the heavily armed traffickers. Iran says it seized 90 percent of all opium and 45 percent of all heroin and morphine recovered worldwide last year.
In a separate clash in the southern province of Shiraz, two policemen and one suspected armed robber were killed in a three-hour shootout, IRNA said. Three other men were arrested. The gangs were wanted for repeated armed robbery and banditry offences, the agency quoted a local police chief as saying.
Bureau Report
Iran lies on the main drugs transit route from Afghanistan and Pakistan, the so-called Golden Crescent, to the lucrative markets of Europe and oil-rich Arab states.
Some 3,100 Iranian policemen have died in drug-related battles with smugglers and bandits over the past 20 years. Iran spent around $20 million last year to seal its borders with drug-infested Afghanistan and armed thousands of villagers to combat the heavily armed traffickers. Iran says it seized 90 percent of all opium and 45 percent of all heroin and morphine recovered worldwide last year.
In a separate clash in the southern province of Shiraz, two policemen and one suspected armed robber were killed in a three-hour shootout, IRNA said. Three other men were arrested. The gangs were wanted for repeated armed robbery and banditry offences, the agency quoted a local police chief as saying.
Bureau Report