SANANDAJ, Iran, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Two members of an Iranian security force were killed along with three insurgents during raids on suspected terrorist hideouts in Kordestan province.
Provincial authorities in the western province of Kordestan said security forces had identified as many as six suspects linked to a spate of assassinations at their hideout in the capital city of Sanandaj, the Fars News Agency reports.
Security forces raided the hideout, engaging in a gunfight with the insurgents when they refused to surrender, the report added, citing unnamed sources.
Two security officers were killed and three others were wounded in the attacks. Three members of the insurgent operation were killed and three others were arrested and charged in connection to terrorist attacks in the province.
Three unknown assailants gunned down Ayatollah Mamousta Borhan Ali in front of his home Sept. 13. The cleric was a leading supporter of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the June election campaign.
Iran blames armed separatists with regional Salafist groups and "external" agents for the assassination.
His assassination follows an earlier attempt on the life of a local judge in the provincial capital.
