Armed men beat Iran TV crew in Iraq, take cameras

Reuters – Armed men beat up an Iranian state television camera crew in Iraq and took their equipment, Iranian state radio reported on Sunday, as relations sour between the neighbours who fought a bitter 1980-88 war.
It was unclear whether the assailants belonged to a particular faction, but Iranian state radio reported their equipment had been “confiscated” rather than stolen. Reuters

TEHRAN – Armed men beat up an Iranian state television camera crew in Iraq and took their equipment, Iranian state radio reported on Sunday, as relations sour between the neighbours who fought a bitter 1980-88 war.

It was unclear whether the assailants belonged to a particular faction, but Iranian state radio reported their equipment had been “confiscated” rather than stolen.

The crew from the IRIB state network was set upon in Latifiya south of Baghdad and forced to leave the area.

Iraq’s Defence Minister Hazim al-Shalaan has accused Tehran of sending spies and arms across the border to foment unrest among Iraq’s Shi’ite Muslim majority. Iran denies the charges.

IRIB journalists have been accused of being Tehran spies by U.S. troops who detained two of them for four months last year.

Mostafa Darban, the bureau chief of Iran’s official news agency, was held for more than two weeks by Baghdad police last month.