Bombing kills 10 women, a child at parade in Iran

[Turborama]

Source: LA Times

Reporting from Beirut — A bombing Wednesday at a martial parade in western Iran killed at least 10 women and a 5-year-old child, including the wives of two Iranian military commanders. The explosion struck amid a large crowd attending the event, which was intended to underscore the nation's battle readiness.

Another 35 people were injured, 12 seriously, in what officials described as a "terrorist attack." No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, which occurred in the restive ethnic Kurdish city of Mahabad.

But Iranian officials quickly pointed the finger at the United States, and the local Friday prayer leader blamed "Zionists."

"As the investigations indicate, the attack has foreign backing," provincial governor Vahid Jalalzadeh told state television. "Unfortunately, the Americans and their allies are in the region. From the first day of their presence and their slogan to establish security in the region, we can see that the unrest has increased."

According to Iranian media, the bomb struck pedestrians gathered along a Mahabad sidewalk to watch an annual Sacred Defense Week military parade commemorating the victims of the 1980-88 Iran- Iraq war. Initial news accounts described the attack as a suicide bombing. But state radio later reported that the bomb was placed in the branches of a pine tree.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iran-bombing-20100923,0,3835675.story

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Video at the link.