A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Jundallah Claims Credit for Chabahar Bombing on Eve of ‘Ashura

A mosque bombing in the Iranian city of Chabahar has killed at least 39 people, and has been claimed by the Sunni movement Jundallah (Army of God), which has staged attacks against Shi‘ites in southeastern Iran; this attack came on the eve of the Shi‘ite mourning day of ‘Ashura. The target of the attack was the Imam Hussein mosque, named for the martyr of Karbala', so it is clearly aimed at outraging Shi‘ites.

Jundallah operates in southeastern Iran, reportedly from bases inside Pakistan. Iran claims Jundallah is backed by the United States, though this is denied by the US, which now classifies Jundallah as a terrorist group.

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