Evening star., 1946-03-20
Iranian Troops
Battling kurds
On Iraq Border
3.Gorrisons Reported
Holding Out After
Week-Long Attacks
BY the Associated Pres,

TEHERAN, Mar. 20.-An Iran
Ian general staff officer said to-
day three Iranian garrisons near
the Iraq border were fighting off
attacking Kurdish tribesmen and
that aerial support has been dis
patched to prevent them from
being cut off from their divi-
sional headquarters.
The officer told reporters that the
garrisons of Sardasht and Baneh in
kurdistan and Saqqiz, on the
Observation-Disclosures border, -"have
been under attack for a week, but
are holding out"
He said tribesmen from both Irau
and Iran were involved in the action
and that his agents had reported
strangers who speak a Turku
dialect similar to that heard in
Northern Azerboijan" were observed
among the tribesmen.
He estimated the attackers num-
bered 5000.
Planes in Operation.
The general said seven Iranian
planes now are operating from air.
fields at Hamadan and Kermanshah
In support of the army in an effort
to prevent the tribesmen from cut
ting the single mountain road south
ward to headquarters at Sinneh.
The planes carry light bombs and
machine guns.
The general expressed confidence
that the garrisons still were holding
out, but said that heavy SHOWS had
prevented reinforcement.
Army forces of approximately
5000 are divided among the garri-
sons while the tribesmen may con-
centrate their entire force against
one post at time," he said.
The area reported under attack
is adjacent to the semi autonomous
sheikdom of Ghazi Mohammed,
leader of Separatist Kurdish move
ment at Saujbulagh (Makahad), and
only few miles south of Bukan,
where Russian combat column was
reported to have arrived last week
from Tabriz.
Pressure Laid to Russia.
Rightist Deputy Said zia Ed-din
declared last night that Soviet Rus
sia was "exerting pressure" on Iran
by movements of troops in the So
viet-occupied zone and that Trans
only hope lies with the UNO."
He expressed the opinion, often
repeated by political observers in
Teheran, that Iran now has a new
case for the Security Council.
The case offered at the first
session of the UNO, be said, charged
the Russians with Intervention in
Trans internal affairs, while the
new case charges violation of an
international treaty by retaining
troops in Iran after March g."
Under terms of the British Rus
sian-Iranian treaty of 1912, all for
eign troops were supposed to have
been Withdrawn from Iranian soil
on that date.
The Russians, Zia Ed-din declared,
are "exerting pressure on the Prime
Minister-and on the nation-by the
reinforcement of garrisons and
movements of combat troops in the
north"
-Four Opposed Appeal.
Zia Ed-din, generally considered
to be leader Of the opposition to the
government of Premier Ahmed
Qavam es Saltaneh, expressed the
belief that the three votes of the
Premier had been the determining
factor in the Iranian cabinets de-
cision to reopen its case before the
UNO.
He said he had been informed
that four ministers opposed the
appeal at Monday nights closed
cabinet meeting, but that the votes
of Ahmed Qayarn, as Premier, Min
lister Of Foreign Affairs and Minister
Of the Interior, had been sufficient
to assure 7-to-4 majority in favor
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