Follow Up: Kurdish HRK Guerrillas Down Iranian Helicopter

Kurdish Situation in Iran Report: "HRK Guerrillas Down Iranian Helicopter" Originally published on 2/24/2007 by Roj TV (Internet Version-WWW) in Turkish. The East Kurdistan Forces HRK [People's Liberation Forces of East Kurdistan] have downed an Iranian helicopter. The incident, in which at least eight Iranian military personnel are reported to have been killed, has also been confirmed by Iranian news agencies. It has been learned that the incident took place during the course of the operation that the Iranian military has stepped up in East Kurdistan. It is reported that eight of the soldiers in the helicopter, which was hit and brought down by a missile in the event that took place in the Qutuli region, were killed. Also included among the information obtained is that one of the soldiers was captured by HRK guerrillas. Some sources, however, have announced that the number of dead soldiers was approximately 20. The semi-official Iranian news agencies "Fars" and "Mehr", which confirmed the incident of the helicopter's being downed, have reported that high-level commanders from the Iranian military were also included among the military personnel who perished. It has been reported that Revolutionary Guards Chief Commander Sayyid Gahari and Hamza Command Special Forces Commander and at the same time Revolutionary Guards Battalion Commander Hanif Dorosti were aboard the downed helicopter. It is reported that clashes with the Iranian military operation forces continue in the area where the HRK guerrillas brought the helicopter down. At the same time, Iranian state forces are continuing their repression, attacks, detentions, and arrests aimed against the people. Most recently, in the town of Saqqez, another person was sentenced to a seven-year prison term on charges of membership in the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK). In Kamyaran as well, an individual was given a three-year prison term, and it has been learned that a prisoner by the name of Fezad Kemanger has been tortured. Meanwhile, in Mahabad, where a Kurdish youth was killed last week, it is reported that no word has been able to be obtained regarding two other individuals who were taken into custody. In the rural area around the town of Marivan, in the meantime, it has been learned that pressure is being placed on the family in Orumiyeh of PJAK member Latife Selameti, code-named Zilan Pepule, who lost her life last year in an Iranian military operation. NOTE: Tehran - Fars News Agency (Internet Version-WWW) in English -- "Privately-owned " news agency. It began operating in mid November 2002. Its managing editor is Mehdi Faza'eli, the editor in chief of the Javan daily and a member of the managerial board of the Association of Muslim Journalists. The other members of the board of directors of the news agency, are: Alizera Shemirani, of Farda newspaper, Abdollah Moqaddam and Akbar Nabavi of Resalat newspaper, the former director of Farabi Foundation Hasan Eslami-Mehr, and university professor Abolhossein Ruholamin.