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Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Thursday, June 8, 2017
Iranian Revolutionary Guard blames Saudi Arabia for Tehran attack
12 people were killed in the attacks which were the first Islamic State attack on Iran, which is fighting IS in Iraq and Syria
Members of Iranian forces run during an attack on the Iranian parliament in central Tehran (Reuters)
Wednesday 7 June 2017
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) pointed the finger at Saudi
Arabia for twin attacks on Iran’s parliament and the Mausoleum of
Ayatollah Khomeini on Wednesday morning which left 12 people dead.
The attacks, which took place a few kilometres south of the capital,
were the first in the country to be claimed by the Islamic State group.
"This terrorist attack happened only a week after the meeting between
the US president (Donald Trump) and the (Saudi) backward leaders who
support terrorists," said the IRGC in a statement, published by Iranian
media.
"The fact that Islamic State has claimed responsibility proves that they were involved in the brutal attack."
A security guard was killed when four gunmen burst into Tehran's
parliament complex, while a gardener was reported dead when several
armed assailants entered the grounds of Khomeini's mausoleum in the
south of the city, according to the ISNA news agency.
"Fighters from Islamic State attacked Khomeini's shrine and the Iranian parliament in Tehran," IS's news agency Amaq said.
An official at Khomeini's mausoleum in south Tehran said "three or four"
people had entered via the western entrance and opened fire, killing
the gardener and wounding several people, according to the Fars news
agency.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, dismissed the attacks as
mere "fireworks" that would not weaken the country's fight against
terrorism, state TV reported.
"These fireworks have no effect on Iran. They will soon be
eliminated...they are too small to affect the will of the Iranian nation
and its officials," he said.
Iran's emergency services said a total of 12 people were killed in the two attacks and 43 wounded.
Fars said a female suicide attacker blew herself up outside the shrine
and published photos showing the explosion. The Mizanonline news agency
also said a female suicide bomber blew herself up outside the shrine,
while another woman was arrested carrying six grenades.
Lawmaker Elias Hazrati told state television three assailants, one with a
pistol and two with AK-47 assault rifles, raided parliament.
Parliament was in session as the attacks unfolded, with live footage
showing members continuing with routine business even as gun battles
were reported in surrounding office buildings.
Speaker Ali Larijani dismissed the attacks, saying they were a "trivial matter" and that security forces were dealing with them.
Intensified gunfire was heard from the neighbouring offices as Fars news agency reported police had launched an assault.
Parliament in session as attacks unfold
Tasmin news agency said there were unconfirmed reports that the
attackers had taken four hostages inside the parliament building, but
the state news agency IRNA reported that the situation at parliament is
under control and a session is going ahead.
Another lawmaker said one of the assailants was surrounded by security
forces and all the doors to the building had been closed, ISNA news
agency reported.
Members of Iranian forces run during an attack on the Iranian parliament in central Tehran (Reuters)
"I was inside the parliament when shooting happened. Everyone was
shocked and scared. I saw two men shooting randomly," said one
journalist at the scene, who asked not to be named.
Several Arab media outlets claimed that the Islamic State group carried
out the attacks, but removed the news report from their websites after
half an hour, according to the semi-offical Fars News Agency.
Around half an hour later and 19 kilometres away from the parliament
building, an armed man opened fire at the Mausoleum of Ayatollah
Khomeini and wounded a number of people, the semi-official Fars news
agency reported.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini launched the Islamic revolution in 1979.