Senior IRGC officer killed in western Iran amid violence-marred protests

TEHRAN, Iran

A senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officer in the western Kermanshah province of Iran was killed Friday by armed protesters, according to officials.

Col. Nader Bayrami headed the IRGC intelligence department in Sahneh, a mountainous city in eastern Kermanshah.

Bayrami was killed during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the death of a prominent local artist, according to IRGC public relations in the province.

It said a group of "rioters," armed with cold weapons, clashed with security forces on the sidelines of the ceremony.

When Bayrami intervened, he was fatally stabbed with a knife in his heart, causing his death, it said.

At least 30 people have been arrested in connection to the killing and handed over to the judiciary.

The fatal stabbing comes as sweeping protests in Iran have been triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, while in the custody of the country’s morality police in September.

Fatal attacks on police officers and paramilitary Basiji forces have become increasingly common in recent months, with several knife assaults and shootings reported across the country.

At least six security personnel were killed Thursday by armed assailants in separate incidents in western and central Iran.

Col. Hassan Yousefi was killed in Sanandaj in northwestern Kurdistan province, Amini's hometown. A viral video showed him lying in the street with his head bleeding profusely.

In another incident from the northeastern city of Mashhad, three young members of the paramilitary voluntary Basiji forces were stabbed to death by an armed man.

Wednesday was particularly marred by violence with at least nine people killed in separate incidents in southwestern Khuzestan and central Isfahan provinces.

It is worth noting that the spate of killings this week came amid a call for a three-day protest to mark the third anniversary of deadly unrest in November 2019 that were sparked by a sharp rise in fuel prices.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with nationwide protests in the past few months, with trials commencing earlier this week.

In preliminary verdicts, a court in Tehran has issued five death sentences, while many have been given jail terms ranging from five to 10 years.