Iran lawmaker says negligence led to parade attack

Published September 29, 2018
A Iranian soldier carrying an injured comrade at the scene of an attack on a military parade on September 22. — AFP/File
A Iranian soldier carrying an injured comrade at the scene of an attack on a military parade on September 22. — AFP/File

A prominent Iranian lawmaker said an attack on a military parade in the southwestern city of Ahvaz that killed 24 people was the result of negligence by security forces, semi-official ISNA news agency reported on Saturday.

The report quoted the head of Iran's parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, as saying a video shot by the intelligence ministry and the army makes this clear.

"The cameraman begged a sniper to shoot the attackers, but the sniper waited for his commander's order," he said, describing the video.

About 92 lawmakers and the intelligence and interior ministers reviewed the video of last Saturday's attack.

"There were eight or nine snipers who were easily able to kill the terrorists in 30 seconds," Falahatpisheh said.

He said one sniper did not at first believe an attack was taking place, but when he saw people were being killed he still did not shoot, saying he didn't get an order to fire.

Falahatpisheh said some of the wounded in the attack had experience fighting the militant Islamic State group in Syria and if they had been armed, they could have prevented the tragedy.

Militants disguised as soldiers opened fire on an annual Iranian military parade in the country's oil-rich southwest, killing 24 people and wounding over 60 in the deadliest terror attack to strike the country in nearly a decade.

Opinion

Editorial

The next deluge
16 Jul, 2025

The next deluge

A THIRD of our people were directly impacted by the 2022 floods. Nearly 1,500 lives were lost, over $30bn just...
FC revamp
16 Jul, 2025

FC revamp

WHAT’S in a name? The civilian paramilitary force hitherto known as the Frontier Constabulary will continue to...
Simplified tax forms
16 Jul, 2025

Simplified tax forms

THE rollout of a new interactive tax return form should ease filing by simplifying the procedure, addressing a...
Consolidating gains
Updated 15 Jul, 2025

Consolidating gains

It would not be incorrect to say that the economy is still just a shock away from relapsing into another crisis.
Second thoughts
15 Jul, 2025

Second thoughts

AND, just like that, the PTI’s ill-timed ‘Second Pakistan Movement’ seems to have been put to rest. The...
Wounded women
15 Jul, 2025

Wounded women

MORALITY is a woman’s burden to bear, and the chilling upsurge in gender-based crimes is a reminder of how...