A New Phase of Resistance and Insurgency in Iranian Baluchistan

JULY 2009 . VOL 2 . ISSUE 7 A New Phase of wounded.6 In another incident, at least approximately 70 million. The rest of five people were killed in an arson attack the country’s population is composed Resistance and Insurgency against a state-run financial center on of an array of minority communities, in Iranian Baluchistan June 2.7 including a large ethnic Azeri population—which makes up at least By Chris Zambelis The Iranian security services responded a quarter of Iran’s population—ethnic to the May 28 attack by carrying out an Kurds, Arabs, Turkomans, Lors, Baluch, while the world remains fixated on extensive crackdown across Sistan- Armenians, Jews and others. In spite the political turmoil engulfing Iran Baluchistan targeting suspected of Iran’s mosaic of cultural identities, following the June 12, 2009 presidential members and supporters of Jundallah. Iranians representing different elections, ethnic and sectarian tensions On May 30, Iranian officials publicly backgrounds tend to share a sense of in the country’s southeastern province hanged three men near the site of the national identity rooted in feelings of of Sistan-Baluchistan1 continue to fester. mosque bombing claiming that they had pride and collective consciousness of On May 28, a massive suicide bombing confessed to supplying the attackers with Iran’s ancient heritage. targeting Shià worshippers ripped explosives.8 Following the execution, through the Amir al-Momenin mosque Jundallah issued a statement saying that At the same time, a number of ethno- in the provincial capital of Zahedan. only one of the men executed was in fact sectarian and linguistic minority Ethnic Baluch Sunni insurgents known a member of the group.9 Tensions in the groups in Iran perceive the ethnic as Jundallah (Soldiers of God) claimed province escalated further when rumors Persian-dominated Shià Islamist credit for the attack, making it the latest circulated that Molavi Abdolhamid structure of operating a deliberate in a string of increasingly devastating Esmaeil Zehi, Zahedan’s leading Sunni policy of subjugation, discrimination, attacks by the obscure militant group cleric, was targeted in an apparent and repression.12 Iran’s ethnic Baluch since it emerged in 2003.2 Abdulraouf assassination attempt on May 31, minority boasts a culture and a Rigi,3 a Jundallah spokesman, said the presumably by state security officials or historical narrative that is imbued with attack was intended as retaliation for pro-regime forces seeking to avenge the a sense of collective persecution at the Tehran’s execution of a number of Sunni mosque bombing.10 Scuffles that ensued hands of colonial and modern regional clerics in recent years.4 Amid the chaos between his entourage and protesters powers; this has left the Baluch people of the bombing, Jundallah’s founder and led to some injuries and sparked clashes divided among Iran, Pakistan, and leader Abdulmalek Rigi called for Sunni between civilians and the security forces Afghanistan and without a country of clerics in Sistan-Baluchistan to advocate elsewhere in the province.11 Jundallah their own.13 Moreover, ethnic Baluch a boycott of the June 12 elections.5 In a itself issued a harsh rebuke of the Sunni in Iran, who number between one and series of subsequent attacks in Zahedan cleric’s decision to criticize the May 28 four million and belong to the Sunni that Iranian authorities have also linked mosque attack. faith, inhabit one of the country’s most to Jundallah, armed gunmen attacked underdeveloped and impoverished President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s This article will examine the recent regions.14 The region is also a hotbed campaign headquarters in the restive history of Baluch nationalism and of cross-border smuggling of drugs, province on May 29, leaving a number dissent in Iran, explain how Jundallah arms, and other contraband. Due to of campaign staff and bystanders has modified its tactics since the end the difficulty in managing the region of 2008, and assess whether or not al- through traditional administrative and 1 The province of Sistan-Baluchistan is often referred Qaìda may be supporting the Baluch institutional means, Tehran has instead to as Iranian Baluchistan. Baluch nationalists some- terrorist group. times refer to all of the territories where Baluch reside 12 Significantly, the issue of ethnic and sectarian ten- within Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan collectively as Baluch Nationalism and Dissent sions in Iran was brought to the fore during the recent “Greater Baluchistan” and the territory in Iran as “West Iran is a patchwork of diverse ethnic, presidential campaign. Opposition candidate Mir Hos- Baluchistan.” This article will use the terms Sistan-Bal- sectarian, and linguistic communities. sein Mousavi, an ethnic Azeri himself, sought to tap uchistan and Iranian Baluchistan interchangeably. Iran’s Farsi-speaking, ethnic Persian into the simmering resentments of Iranian minorities by 2 “Cleric: Clues of US, Israel’s Involvement in Zahedan population—nearly all of whom promising greater rights and opportunities. In an effort Bombing Discernable,” Fars News Agency [Tehran], are Shià—represent only a slight to win over the support of Iranian Baluch and other Sun- May 29, 2009. majority among Iran’s population of ni minorities, for instance, Mousavi promised to permit 3 It is unclear whether Abdulrauf Rigi is related to Jun- Iranian Sunnis to construct their own mosque in Tehran. dallah founder and leader Abdulmalek Rigi. Members 6 “‘Gunmen Attack’ South Iran Election Office,” BBC, For more details, see Shahin Abbasov, “Iran: Azeris Cau- of Abdulmalek Rigi’s family, including a number of May 29, 2009. tious About Supporting Native Son Mousavi in Tehran his brothers, have been implicated in previous attacks 7 “‘Arson Attack’ Hits Iran’s Zahedan,” al-Jazira, June Political Fight,” EurasiaNet, June 23, 2009; Nahid Siam- and other militant activities. In fact, Iranian authorities 2, 2009. doust, “Can Iran’s Minorities Help Oust Ahmadinejad?” sometimes refer to Jundallah sarcastically as the “Rigi 8 “Iran Hangs Three Over Mosque Blast,” al-Jazira, May Time Magazine, May 30, 2009. Group” in an effort to downplay the idea that Jundallah’s 30, 2009. 13 The Baluch nationalist narrative often portrays the message resonates outside of a close circle of militants 9 “Unrest Mounts in Zahedan,” Rooz Online [Paris], plight of the Baluch alongside that of the Kurds of the linked to the Rigi family. June 2, 2009. Middle East. In this regard, much like the Kurds, the Ba- 4 “Jundallah Claim Responsibility for Bomb Blast,” 10 In a possible attempt to downplay the incident and luch have also been dispersed and divided across hostile Press TV [Tehran], May 30, 2009. reduce sectarian tension, the cleric later refuted reports borders. 5 “Leader Urges Vigilance Against Plots,” Iran Daily that he was the target of an assassination attempt. 14 Chris Zambelis, “Violence and Rebellion in Iranian [Tehran], May 31, 2009. 11 “Unrest Mounts in Zahedan.” Balochistan,” Terrorism Monitor 4:3 (2006). JULY 2009 . VOL 2 . ISSUE 7 relied on heavy-handed repression to civilian20 target that claimed the lives Abdulghafoor Rigi, a Jundallah member ensure order, an approach that has fed of least 25 worshippers and injured who also happened to be another one resentment toward the state.15 more than 125. Significantly, the attack of leader Abdulmalek Rigi’s brothers, occurred while worshippers mourned rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into According to Jundallah leader the death of the Prophet Muhammad’s the headquarters of Iran’s joint police Abdulmalek Rigi, his group has taken daughter Fatima—an important day and anti-narcotics unit in Saravan, up arms in an effort to highlight the of mourning for Shià Muslims and killing four police officers and injuring plight of the Baluch people in Iran, a national holiday in Iran—at the scores more.22 While mentioning that who he sees as victims of an ongoing second largest Shià mosque in the suicide bombings are not compatible “genocide.”16 He has also claimed that in predominantly Sunni Muslim city and with Baluch values, Baluch nationalist spite of Iranian accusations, Jundallah region. The potential impact of the sources claim that the decision by is not an independence movement attack on the June 12 elections also Abdulghafoor Rigi to execute a suicide nor does it have a radical sectarian likely figured into Jundallah’s calculus. bombing meant to serve as an act of agenda.17 Rigi has even said that he is The timing of the high-profile attack— symbolism that would hopefully inspire an “Iranian” and that his only goal is occurring as it did in the run up to fiercer resistance by Iranian Baluch to improve the lives of his people as the elections—in addition to the other against the regime.23 Iranians.18 Nevertheless, it is likely disturbances in Sistan-Baluchistan also that ethnic Baluch in Iran look to their likely linked to Jundallah suggest that The introduction of suicide bombings kin across the border in Pakistan’s the militants intended to escalate their into Jundallah’s arsenal along with a Baluchistan Province—which is home campaign against the regime with the willingness to target civilians must to the world’s largest Baluch population knowledge that the world was following clearly be of concern to Tehran. Aside and a decades-long insurgency against events in Iran closely. This strategy from the myriad operational challenges Islamabad—as a source of inspiration draws international attention to the posed by having

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