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.

US Condemns Attacks in Zahedan

I previously posted about the attacks, presumably by the Sunni Jundallah Movement, against Iranian targets at Zahedan in the province of Sistan and Baluchistan, which have continued. The US yesterday condemned the attacks in "the strongest possible terms" and — despite the fact that Iran has in the past and again this time claimed the US supports Jundallah — emphasized that "We do not sponsor any form of terrorism in Iran, and we continue to work with the international community to try and prevent any attacks against innocent civilians anywhere."

It's a good move I think, another gesture to Iran even if it isn't reciprocated, and an explicit denial of support for the bombers. Whether Iran responds is of course another matter.

Bombing in Zahedan: Jundallah Again?

UPDATE: There's been an armed attack on Ahmadinejad's campaign office in Zahedan, as well.

The bombing of a mosque in Zahedan, in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan, has reportedly killed 15 people and wounded another 50. Worshippers were gathered at the Amir al-Mohini Mosque for the observance of a Shi‘ite holiday marking the death of the Prophet's daughter Fatima. This is being blamed on Jundallah ("Army of God"), a shadowy Sunni movement active in southeastern Iran, where there is a fairly substantial Sunni minority in the majority Shi‘ite country. It is perhaps best known for a series of attacks in February 2007, but has been a persistent if low-level nuisance for some time. (For some background on Jundallah here's a Wikipedia entry; Pakistan has on occasion handed over arrested guerrillas to Iran, and Iran has charged that the US and Saudi Arabia support Jundallah, though the latter seems a bit more likely than the former.

So far as I am aware anyway, Jundallah's operations have been limited to Sistan and Baluchistan (one province despite two names), and particularly Zahedan, areas close enough to allow infiltration through the largely empty border areas with Pakistan and Afghanistan. It would be a mistake to see this as either a major indicator of Sunni dissidence in Iran generally or as a genuine threat to the regime. It is a regionally-based problem, but the bombing of a mosque is likely to lead to an intensified crackdown.