AFP: An Iranian military helicopter crashed Thursday in the western province of Kermanshah bordering Iraq killing both crewmen, the ISNA news agency reported. TEHRAN (AFP) An Iranian military helicopter crashed Thursday in the western province of Kermanshah bordering Iraq killing both crewmen, the ISNA news agency reported.
“The crash occured around 1:00 pm (0930 GMT) in a rural area in the province. We have dispatched rescuers to the area to recover the bodies. So far no information is available on the cause of the crash,” provincial emergency services chief Tahmasb Najafi was quoted as saying.
Kurdish militant group PJAK, said by officials to make regular border incursions from Iraq, have been blamed for a spate of deadly incidents in Iran’s northwestern Kermanshah, Kordestan and West Azarbaijan provinces.
Iran has shelled militant bases inside northern Iraq having complained that Iraqi Kurdistan authorities have failed to act against them.
Tehran’s frustration is shared by its eastern neighbour Turkey, which is considering launching an incursion to eliminate Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq after 15 of its soldiers were killed in PKK attacks last week.
Iran has also repeatedly accused the United States of seeking to stir up ethnic trouble by giving material support to PJAK (Party of Free Life of Kurdistan) and outlawed rebel groups in other sensitive border regions.
