The attack of Tasooki was a terrorist attack against Iran. It took place at 21:00 on 25

Esfand Esfand ( fa, اسفند, ) is the twelfth and final month of the Solar Hijri calendar, the official calendar of Iran and Afghanistan. Esfand has twenty-nine days normally, and thirty during leap years. It begins in February and ends in March of ...

1384 (March 16, 2006) in Zabol- Zahedan road near the police station. The perpetrators were members of the Baloch religio-political insurgency named

Jundallah (Iran) Jundallah ( ar, جندالله, lit=Soldiers of God), also known as the People's Resistance Movement of Iran (PRMI), was a Sunni militant organization based in Sistan and Baluchestan, a province in southeast Iran, that claims to be fighting f ...

. The attack left 22 dead and 7 captured. in that night the forces of jundallah and Abdolmalek rigi attacked several passing vehicles, mostly buses, in the guise of police and killed 21 Shia male passengers in front of their wives and children. After tying hand and feet of women and children and leaving them in the street, the Rigi forces take a number of ordinary people and military forces as hostages.

Jundallah (Iran)

Jundallah (Iran) was a group of "Baloch religio-political insurgency" active in Iran from 2004 to 2010. By executing the leader,

Abdolmalek Rigi Abdolmalek Rigi ( ; also spelt ''Abdul-Malek Rigi'' or ''Abdulmalik Rigi'') ( bal, عبدالمالک ریگی) ( – 20 June 2010) was the leader of Jundallah, a terrorist group based in the Sistan and Balochistan Province of southeast Iran. ...

, Jundallah was destroyed. They believed that they could administer justice for the people of Balochestan by using violence. From 2006 to 2014, Jundallah organized 25 assaults in Balochestan.

Event

Tasooki's police station is located near the Iran/ Afghanistan border. Due to the presence of terrorist groups and smugglers, policed inspected border crossers. On 16 March 2006,

led a group of his followers wearing police uniforms. They closed the road and stopped cars en route. They divided passengers into

Baloch Baloch, also spelled Baloch, Beluch and in other ways, may refer to: * Baloch people, an ethnic group of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan * Baluch, a small itinerant community of Afghanistan * Balouch, Azad Kashmir, a town in Pakistan * Baloch (s ...

, Shia and

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

and others. They then executed the Shia travelers (except of children and women). 22 citizens (including a student, a worker, an employee, a soldier, a reporter and a businessman) were killed. Six were injured and seven taken hostage. The hostages were released after 200 days. During the attack, government officials were killed and Hasan ali Nouri, the Governor of Zahedan was injured.

said that the reason for the attack was that they would have nothing to do with Sunni or Shia until Baloch people were no longer threatened by Iran's government. However six more Baloch from Nootizahi and Shahbakhsh tribe were killed by Iranian security forces. The attack on Tasooki was revenge for those deaths.

Reaction

Iranian government officials labeled the attackers as "rebels" with political motivations. The group requested the Iranian government to release members of Jundallah from prison. Iranian officials claimed that the United Kingdom and United States had supported Jundallah groups. The UK denied the accusation. Following the attack student Reza Lakzaei was held hostage for five months. He described the attack the book ''Tasooki, Memories of a Hostage''.

References

{{reflist 21st-century mass murder in Iran 2006 murders in Iran Terrorist incidents in Iran in 2006 Jundallah (Iran) Mass murder in 2006 Hostage taking in Iran 2006 mass shootings in Asia Mass shootings in Iran History of Sistan and Baluchestan province Terrorist incidents on buses Violence against Shia Muslims in Iran Violence against men in Asia 2006 in Pakistani politics March 2006 crimes March 2006 events in Iran

Jundallah (Iran)

Event

Reaction

See also

References