Terrorist attack in southwestern Iran leaves at least five people dead

At least five people were killed, including an elderly woman and a child, and several others injured after terrorists opened fire at people and security forces at a crowded market around the sunset on Wednesday in southwestern Iran's Khuzestan province.

“Unfortunately, at 17:30 local time (14:00 GMT), riders of two motorcycles in a act of terrorism opened fire on people and security forces using military weapons,” Valiollah Hayati, deputy director of security affairs at Khuzestan provincial governor's office, said. 

“Five citizens have so far been martyred,” he added, noting that victims include a child, a woman, and three men. 

He also informed that some of the injured had been admitted to hospitals in critical condition.

“Efforts are underway to identify and arrest the perpetrators of the attack,” he said, noting that calm has been restored in the city.

Citing an informed security source, Fars News Agency also reported that unidentified terrorists riding two motorcycles opened fire on people and policemen in the central bazaar of the Izeh city using AK47 assault rifles. 

The attack came after calls by anti-revolutionary groups to stage riots in Iran for three days, starting on Tuesday. According to reports, security forces were trying to disperse a group of rioters in the area when the assailants arrived and opened fire. 

Ambulances rushed to the scene, transferring the victims to a local hospital which is now witnessing the presence of families of victims. 

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far and the official death toll has not been announced yet.

Izeh seminary on fire

In another development on Wednesday evening, a religious seminary school in the Izeh city was set ablaze by a group of rioters. 

Nesa Sheikhzadeh, head of the Izeh seminary for women, said that officials had already issued orders to evacuate dormitories of both male and female students after calls for riots were released.

“No one was inside the seminary at the time of the fire,” she said, confirming that the arson attack had no fatalities. 

She, however, noted that three cars were burned in the attack which incurred extensive damage to equipment and the building of the seminary.

Violent riots erupted in Iran after extremist elements, supported by a number of foreign countries indulged in rioting over the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman who collapsed in police custody and was pronounced dead a few days later at hospital. 

The violent riots have claimed the lives of dozens of people and security forces while also allowing terrorist groups to carry out strikes across the country.

On October 26, a Daesh-affiliated terrorist attacked the Shah Cheragh shrine in the southern province of Fars before the evening prayers, killing at least 15 pilgrims — including a woman and two children — and injuring 40 others.

The attacker opened fire indiscriminately on visitors within the shrine. He was wounded and taken into custody by security personnel but later succumbed to his wounds at a hospital. 

Later on October 26, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry announced in a statement that its forces have arrested  26 Takfiri terrorists for involvement in the attack. The statement said that the detainees were nationals of Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

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