Anti-Iran protest over death of Herat youths

HERAT CITY (PAN): Dozens of protestors took to the streets on Sunday in western Herat province and hurled stones at the Iranian consulate to protest against Iran for not surrendering dead bodies of their relatives, alleged killed in the neighbouring country.

Residents from Islam Qala town of Kohsan district staged the protest at noon after Iranian authorities refused to hand over13 dead bodies.

The protesters claimed that three months ago, 13 youths from Kohsan and Gulran districts travelled illegally to Iran to work, but Iranian border guards arrested and gunned them down in Thaiabad area of Iran — 25 kilometres close to Islam Qala town of Afghanistan.

Angry demonstrators chanted anti-Iran slogans and threw stones at the consulate, but police managed to stop the protestors.

“My cousin went to Iran to work three months ago, the Iranian border police shot him dead along with a dozen other youths in Thaiabad area of Iran,” one of the protesters Mohammad Islam told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Islam said he went to the area where Iranian officials showed him the graves of the youths, but failed to hand over the victims’ bodies to the relatives.

Deputy police chief Maj. Gen. Abdul Hameed Hamidi told Pajhwok that the residents staged an illegal demonstration without getting permission from the authorities.   

“Protesters hurled some stones at the consulate but no one was harmed, but we managed to control the demonstration and ended it peacefully,” he added.

myn/vp

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