The World Health Organization's cancer agency in July classified talc as 'probably carcinogenic' for humans
world6 days ago
Two police officers and four attackers were killed on Saturday when gunmen and suicide bombers stormed a police station in the mostly Sunni city of Zahedan in Iran's restive southeast, state television reported.
Zahedan, capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province, was scene of some of the bloodiest protests during a wave of nationwide unrest last year triggered by the death of a young Kurdish woman in the custody of the morality police.
A militant group operating in the area called Jaish al-Adl, or Army of Justice, claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack in a social media post, saying it was in retaliation for the deaths of protesters killed by security forces on Sept. 30, 2022.
It said the police station targeted was "one of the main perpetrators of the Bloody Friday calamity in Zahedan".
State television said "all four terrorists" had died in the raid.
Amnesty International said security forces killed at least 66 people in the Sept. 30 crackdown on demonstrators.
Authorities sacked Zahedan's police commander and a police station chief afterwards, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sent a delegation to negotiate with critical Sunni Baluch clerics.
Public anger grew in Zahedan in the lead up to the Sept. 30 crackdown following allegations circulated on social media about the rape of a local teenage girl by a police officer.
Molavi Abdolhamid, Iran's most prominent Sunni cleric and a long-time critic of Iran's Shi'ite leaders, condemned the attack on the police station, urging Baluchistan residents to avoid actions that would lead to a breakdown in security.
Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, is one of Iran's poorest provinces and a major drug trafficking route.
Human rights groups say the Baluch minority, estimated to number up to 2 million people, has faced discrimination and repression for decades.
ALSO READ:
The World Health Organization's cancer agency in July classified talc as 'probably carcinogenic' for humans
world6 days ago
Since the beginning of the conflict, the Security Council has struggled to speak with one voice, as the United States used its veto power several times
world6 days ago
Super Heavy unexpectedly splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico instead of returning to land
world6 days ago
The 19-year-old dreamt of competing abroad, and said she wanted to be like Ronaldo and Messi
world1 week ago
Hochstein's mission marks a last-ditch attempt by the outgoing US administration to clinch a ceasefire as diplomacy to end the Gaza war appears totally adrift
world1 week ago
This will be his first visit since the beginning of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia around three years ago
world1 week ago
The changes state that any conventional attack on Russia, aided by a nuclear power, could be considered to be a joint attack
world1 week ago
The country launched a probe in March 2021 into WhatsApp's privacy policy, which allowed data sharing with Facebook and its units, sparking global backlash
world1 week ago