Ahmad Kazemi, the commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards' Ground Forces and at least ten other senior officers were killed when their plane, a Falcon, crashed near Oroumieh, 900 km north-west of the capital, Tehran, in bad weather conditions.
Reports are that both of the plane's engines failed.
Iran's civil aviation is apparently in poor shape due to US sanctions. Last month, a military transport plane crashed into an apartment building in Tehran, killing 128 people. In 2003, another plane crashed, killing 276 officers and soldiers.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, also known as Sepah or Pasdaran was formed in the revolution of 1979, loyal to the Grand Ayatollah. The Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was a member of the Guard himself. It is 125,000+ strong and is considered the designated guardians of the revolution. The Pasdaran was intended to protect the Revolution and to assist the ruling clerics in the day-to-day enforcement of the new government's Islamic codes and morality. It maintains a formidable presence in naval, ground, and air operations, although since the 1990s, apparently newer aircraft have gone to the regular Iranian Air Force.
Iran resumed its nuclear projects today as well, following the collapse of talks with Russia, breaking UN seals and announcing the resumption of research activities. Ahmad Kazemi was a friend and ally of the President. He said, in memoriam, the armed forces “must become symbols of resilience and honour by awaiting the return of the Mahdi [the Shiite messiah] and obeying the Supreme Leader”.
Article comments
1 - Aaman
This is like the head of the SS being killed in 1938
2 - Dave Nalle
In other words, meaningless? Because just as with the SS there are a thousand hard-line fanatics waiting behind Kazemi for his job.
Dave
3 - gonzo marx
what worries me is someone consciously attempting to do the NOstradamus thing, blue turban and all
the person to be truly SCARED shitless about woudl be Mullah OMar...former "holy man" of the Taliban...religious advisor to bin Laden, and self proclaimed possesor of the "Cloak of Mohammed"...which, according to Islamic tradition, is the equivalent of the "Spear of Longinus" in that it endows the bearer with "invincibility"
your humble Narrator is NOT responsible for any lack of sleep, nervous conditions, or ulcers that may occur due to pondering his mad pecking at the keyboard
Excelsior!
4 - Aaman
I wish I had the Phallus of Osiris myself
5 - Aaman
Incidentally, Gonzo, talking about symbolism and prophecy, wait till some end-timer compares the breaking of the UN seals to the loosing of the beast, and other revelatory delusions
6 - gonzo marx
oh yeah, Aaman ..i am way ahead of ya there...
as for the Osirus "thingy"...sounds harder than chinese algebra...
but i digress...
Excelsior!