IMAGI-NATIONS. PART 34.

 CATASTROPHE IN IRAN.

During mid December advancing UNION forces had moved round Tehran to the west and rejoined the road north towards Iraq. Although UNION cavalry had preceded them the road was still crowed with refugees. The 17th infantry brigade led the UNION army preceded by a mounted field police squadron who moved the refugees off the road into the fields on the western side of the road to allow the infantry to pass.  At 11.15am on the morning of 19th December as the foremost infantry battalion ( 77th ) passed by a particularly dense mass of refugees, five men carrying large rucksacks ran from the crowds towards the marching infantry. They threw themselves into the ranks of infantry and in the space of seconds each man exploded a suicide bomb.

On hearing and feeling the force of the explosions the police wheeled about and galloped the few hundred yards back. As the smoke and dust cleared they realised that the attack had come from the crowds of refugees. Immediately dismounting they poured a heavy rifle fire into the crowds. As the uninjured infantrymen gathered their wits they too started firing into the crowds. Companies of the following 51st infantry battalion rushed forward, formed ranks and also opened fire on the refugees even bringing a heavy machine gun into action. For some considerable time the fire continued unabated until senior UNION officers managed to call a ceasefire.

The scene facing the UNION commanders was horrific. The road was strewn with dead and wounded UNION soldiers for almost 300 yards while in the fields to the east lay literally thousands of dead and wounded Iranian refugees. Immediately UNION battalion medical teams rushed forward. Shortly after a UNION medical battalion set up nearby and began treating the wounded UNION soldiers.  The brigade commander also arrived at the scene and was shocked not only by the casualties among his men but also at the sight of thousands of civilian dead and wounded., He ordered the medical commander to start treating the civilians too. The UNION army commander ordered a halt to the advance and instructed the army to establish a screen of defensive positions just south of the massacre site.

UNION infantry excavated mass graves and under medical instruction began to bury the dead civilians. Many of the wounded could not be helped and were given morphine and left to die. UNION wounded were evacuated by supply trains and ambulances back to railhead.  Many weapons and other bomb filled rucksacks were found among the civilians, clearly a number of fighters had been in the crowds although none were identified among the wounded. After three days the final death tolls were announced. 255 UNION soldiers had died with a further 309 wounded. However some 17,087 Iranian civilians, men, women and children had died with another 8,467 wounded. 

Reports of the suicide bombings and subsequent massacre soon arrived in Rio Diego. The government and army were shocked at the use of suicide bombs and the appalling massacre of Iranian refugees. As news of the events appeared in UNION newspapers the public soon expressed their anger and horror. Both the British and Canadians were outraged at the massacre, even Mexico expressed concern. It seemed that whilst all were appalled at the use of suicide bombs and the loss of UNION soldiers, the resulting massacre was seen as a far greater horror. The UNION army in Iran spent a very unhappy Christmas in the field.

On 2nd January 1886 under instructions from the government, the disillusioned 5th UNION army began a slow withdrawal from Iran. The scorched earth policy was however to be continued. Even more than before, the UNION wanted to ensure that the southern portion of Iran was turned into an uninhabitable wasteland. On 4th January the UNION 6th army, deployed to the south west facing Syria, came under intense attack from the Syrian regular army supported by masses of  republican guards militia.