Bomb blast in SE Iran, police clash with gunmen

Tehran, Feb 17: Clashes broke out between police and an armed group following a bomb explosion in southeast Iran today, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

''The bandits were shooting at people after the bomb went off at a school. Clashes are still going on between police and the armed bandits,'' Fars said.

The agency said that after the explosion in the city of Zahedan, capital of Sistan-Baluchestan province, electricity was cut off.

''Police have cordoned off the area and shooting can be heard in the area,'' Fars said.

The bombing in Zahedan was the second there in three days.

A booby-trapped car blew up a bus owned by Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday, killing at least 11 people.

Responsibility for the Wednesday attack was claimed by a shadowy Sunni group, Jundallah (God's soldiers), which Iran has said is linked to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. Tehran has blamed Jundallah for past killings in the area, bordering Pakistan.

Iran has accused Britain and the United States of supporting ethnic minority rebels operating in the sensitive border areas in an attempt to destabilize the country.

Reuters

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