Over 3,000 Yazidi Women Abducted by ISIS Still Missing

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April 3, 2018

“We are still unaware of the fate of 3,100 Yazidi women and girls who were abducted by ISIS and we are searching to find them,” Vian Dakhil said.

Dakhil, the only Yazidi in the Iraqi parliament, made the statement in a talk with Kurdish news agency Rudaw on Saturday, the Persian-language IRNA reported.

More than 6,000 members of the religious minority were taken captive by ISIS when the Syria-based terror group captured large swathes of Iraq in a lightning offensive.

The liberation of last urban strongholds of the group effectively marked an end to the self-proclaimed caliphate established in 2014.

Currently the group has lost most of its holdings in Syria, controlling only small pockets near the Iraqi-Syrian border.

Dakhil said many of the Yezidis women have been transferred by ISIS fighters to cities in Syria, Turkey and Iraq.

“ISIS is present inside Baghdad. Some of the abducted girls and women have been transferred to Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces,” she claimed.

She claimed that Yazidis are still being bought and sold in Syria and Turkey.

Dakhil said the Iraqi government has earmarked three billion Iraqi dinars ($2.5 million) to pay ransoms to secure release of Yazidi women and girls.

The lawmaker also said over 500 Yezidi women and girls once held captive by ISIS will soon be sent to Germany to go through rehabilitation programs.

Over 1,200 Yazidi women have so far been sent to Germany.

After using rehabilitation services, the former captives are free to decide whether they would prefer to stay in Europe or return to Iraq.

Rallies Held to Condemn Saudi-Paid Mercenary’s Abuse of Yemeni Woman

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IFP Editorial Staff

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April 3, 2018

The Yemenis unanimously blamed the United Nations Security Council for similar crimes carried out against women in the impoverished nation.

“In a huge rally organized in the capital Sana’a by the Women’s National Committee of Yemen, the demonstrators strongly condemned the abuse of a Yemeni woman by a Saudi-paid mercenary from Sudan in al-Khukha region south of Hudaydah city,” a Farsi report by Fars News Agency said, quoting Ansarullah Media Centre.

In a statement, the committee underlined that the Sudanese mercenaries also known as Janjaweed who are fighting in Yemen as part of the Saudi-led coalition are notorious for their “unethical and heinous crimes” including abusing women and disgracing Yemeni families.

The Janjaweed are militias that operate in western Sudan and eastern Chad. Using the United Nations definition, the Janjaweed comprised Sudanese Arab tribes, the core of whom are from the Abbala (camel herder) background with significant recruitment from the Baggara (cattle herder) people. This UN definition may not necessarily be accurate, as instances of members from other tribes have been noted.

The Women’s National Committee of Yemen also urged the UN agencies advocate women’s rights to issue a statement condemning the notorious crimes carried out by the Saudi-paid mercenary in Yemen. It also called for an international probe into the crime to put on trial the perpetrator.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Endowments and Guidance in Yemen organized a rally in the capital to condemn the brutal crime by the Saudi-paid mercenary.

During the rally, demonstrators vehemently slammed the move saying it stands in stark violation of all ethical and humanitarian principles. They also blamed the UN for the crimes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and called for the trial of the perpetrators.

The demonstrators urged the United Nations Security Council to put an end to the brutal siege imposed by Saudi Arabia on Yemen as well as its mercenaries’ inhuman crimes in the impoverished country.

Meanwhile, a number of non-governmental organizations in Yemen issued separate statements blaming the UN for the inhuman situation underway in the country. They also called on the international community to step into the fray and protect human rights, freedom and dignity.

Political coalitions in Hudaydah province also condemned the crime and said it disgraced not only the family of the abused woman but all Yemenis. The coalitions invited all Yemenis to take part in rallies to be organized in the province in protest to the crime. They urged all youths in Yemen to take arms against Saudi-led coalition.

Saudi Arabia has been leading a deadly campaign against Yemen from the air, land, and sea since March 2015 in an attempt to reinstate former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh, and to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement. Since nearly three years ago, the Houthis have been running state affairs and defending Yemeni people against the Saudi aggression.

The UN has described the situation in Yemen as the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”

The war, which has so far killed thousands of people, has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying many schools and factories.

Fire at Iranian Tea House Kills 11, Injures 6 (+Video)

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IFP Editorial Staff

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April 3, 2018

The fire broke out shortly after the midnight, when a former worker of the tea house poured gasoline on it and set the shop on fire in retaliation for his dismissal, according to eyewitnesses.

Mojtaba Khaledi, Iran’s emergency services spokesperson, said the fire killed 11 and injured 6, the Persian-language ISNA reported.

The injured included three firemen, head of Ahvaz Fire Department Atashpad Torabpour said.

Colonel Ali Qassempour, an Ahvaz police commander, said “personal disagreements” were behind the incident.

Qassempour said the incident was under investigation and several suspects were arrested by the police forces by Tuesday morning.

Iran FM to Visit Turkey, Azerbaijan, Nakhchivan

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IFP Editorial Staff

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April 2, 2018

In a statement on Monday, Bahram Qassemi said Zarif will travel to Turkey’s capital Ankara on Tuesday to discuss the Syria conflict and the Astana peace process.

“In Ankara, the foreign minister and his Turkish and Russian counterparts will attend a ministerial meeting on Syria. Exploring the latest developments in Syria and following up on the agreements made in Astana will be topics of discussions among the three foreign ministers,” he said.

Qassemi said Zarif will also accompany President Hassan Rouhani in a meeting of heads of governments of Iran, Turkey and Russia.

“During the [ministerial] meeting, the agenda of the meeting of the three presidents will be discussed,” Qassemi said.

On Thursday and Friday, Zarif will be in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to attend a mid-term ministerial conference of members of the Non-Aligned Movement, Qassemi said.

On Friday afternoon, the foreign minister will make a trip to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic upon the official invitation of the region, headded.

During his stay, the spokesman said, Zarif will meet with high-ranking officials of Nakhchivan.

Iran Calls for Restraint in Latest Kashmir Escalation

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IFP Editorial Staff

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April 2, 2018

In a Monday statement, Bahram Qassemi called for restraint and said Iran is ready to help ease tensions in Kashmir.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran supports every move in line with the interests of the Kashmiris and is ready to take effective steps to reduce tensions, if the sides make a request,” he said.

Fierce gun battles between Indian forces and suspected separatist militants in the Indian-controlled Kashmir has in recent days left 20 people dead.

People staged a strike in the region on Monday, after deadly anti-New Delhi protests and clashes between the army and pro-independence militants.

In recent years, the people of Kashmir have been faced with a massive crackdown by hundreds of thousands of Indian military and paramilitary troops deployed to the region to stifle dissent.

The Himalayan region is divided between India and Pakistan. Most Kashmiris on the Indian side want either independence or a merger with Pakistan.

Iranians Go on Outdoor Picnics to Celebrate Nature Day

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IFP Editorial Staff

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April 2, 2018

Iranians uphold the long-standing tradition on the thirteenth day of Nowruz by spending the day outdoors.

‘Sizdah’ means thirteen, and ‘bedar’ means to get rid of, bearing the meaning of ‘getting rid of thirteen’. Sizdah-bedar also marks the end of Nowruz celebrations, which begin on the first day of spring.

A ritual performed at the end of the picnic day is to throw away the “sabzeh” (Sprout) from the Nowruz’s “Haft-Seen table”. The sabzeh is supposed to have collected all the sickness, pain and ill fate hiding on the path of the family throughout the coming year.

Touching someone else’s greenery on this day or bringing it back home is considered a bad omen.

Preserving the environment is also an integral part of what Iranians do on Sizdah-bedar.

It is also customary for young single people, especially young girls, to tie the leaves of the greenery before discarding it, expressing a wish to find a partner.

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Iran’s Beauties in Photos: Handicrafts Market in Bandar Torkaman

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IFP Editorial Staff

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April 2, 2018

What follows are Tasnim’s photos of the local market visited by hundreds of tourists and local people every Monday:

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“Tel Aviv Terrorists Know No Language but Aggression”

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IFP Editorial Staff

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April 1, 2018

Larijani on Sunday condemned the “criminal and inhuman” move by the “illegitimate and occupying regime of Israel” against the peaceful protest by the Palestinians known as “Great March of Return” held on the Gaza border.

“The killing of the peaceful Palestinian protesters is the last in the series of Israeli crimes carried out under the patronage of the US,” he was quoted as saying in a Farsi report by Tasnim News Agency.

Larijani also described the Zionists’ policy to create regional tensions and crises as well as the US president’s move to transfer the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds as “dangerous”, saying the measures have already threatened the stability and security of the region.

The Iranian parliament speaker then said the terrorists in Tel Aviv understand no language other than aggression and added resistance is the most significant mechanism in fight against the vicious goals of the Zionist regime.

He urged the parliaments of the Islamic and non-Islamic states in the world to defend the legitimate rights of the Palestinians and stop the provocative policies of the Zionists through adopting some appropriate mechanisms and condemning them.

Back on Friday, at least 17 Palestinians lost their lives and more than a thousand others sustained injuries when Israeli military forces opened fire on thousands of protesters, who had flocked to a sit-in near the border fence between the Gaza Strip and occupied Palestinian territories.

The move sparked harsh criticisms by many rights groups across the world including Amnesty International.

The protest marked the 42nd anniversary of Land Day on March 30, 1976. Protesters said the main message of the march was to call for the right of return for Palestinian refugees. Tents were also set up on five different points along the border, a move kicking off six weeks of a sit-in demonstration leading up to the 70th anniversary of the Nakba on May 15.

Bajgiran Border Town; The Land of Poppies

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IFP Editorial Staff

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April 1, 2018

Bajgiran, the capital of Bajgiran District in Quchan County, serves as a zero point border crossing between Iran and Turkmenistan.

The distance between Bajgiran and the city of Mashhad is about 200 km, or about a two-hour drive. The border town is about 55 km away from Ashgabat, the capital city of Turkmenistan.

Bajrian is highly significant in historical term. Due to its proximity to one of the oldest customs in the region, the border town is home to some historic storehouses belonging to the Bajgiran customs office. The storehouses are registered as national heritage.

Even the name of the city is tied with the region’s customs office. Under Qajar dynasty, the privilege of the region’s customs was given to the Belgian government. To strengthen their grip on the customs, the Belgians had hired a number of armed bullies (in Persian, Bajgiran) to gather the customs duties.

In addition to the customs storehouses, there are other historical sites in the region including a historic crypt in the Rahvard village about 500m away from the town and the Shrine of Crown Prince Sultan Mahmoud in Dowlatkhaneh rural district near the same village.

The region of Bajgiran is also well-known for its natural attractions. It is home to a large number of plant species which are used in alternative medicine.

On the other hand, there is a no-hunt zone, about two kilometres northeast of Bajgiran. Among other natural attractions of the city, one can refer to Aq Kamar, Qater Darvish, Aslemeh and Darbam Valley.

Anemone Plain is also located in the region which is widely known as one of the greatest natural attractions of Iran.

What follows are photos of the region retrieved from Chamedan website:

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Iran’s Beauties in Photos: Ancient Castle of Seb

By

IFP Editorial Staff

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April 1, 2018

The ancient castle of Seb, which lies in a village with the same name located 25 kilometres southwest of the city of Saravan, is a work of human hands and is considered as a sign of identity, life and history of Baluchestan. The word Seb- the castle’s name- means a place with many springs.

Standing on a natural platform of rock, the castle was built of clay and mortar in two floors. To build the roof of the structure, palm tree, mat and ropes have been used. Its wall is 30m in height and 7m in width. Seb castle belongs to the Islamic era and is about a thousand years old.

This castle, which mirrors the entire history of the Safavid rulers, is among 27 historic monuments in the province that are still in place.

Currently, the castle’s structure is under the protection of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization and has been inscribed on the national heritage list.

What follows are photos of the ancient castle of Seb retrieved from various sources:

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