Siahkal incident

1971 leftist guerrilla attack in Iran

The Siahkal incident (Persian: رویداد سیاهکل) or Siahkal movement (Persian: جنبش سیاهکل) refers to a guerrilla operation against the Pahlavi government organized by Iranian People's Fadaee Guerrillas that happened near Siahkal town in Gilan on February 8, 1971. The guerrillas attacked a gendarmerie post at Siahkal, killing three policemen and freeing two previously arrested guerrillas.

Thirteen men were convicted and executed for the incident, including two who were in prison at the time.^[1]

The event marked the beginning of the guerrilla era in Iran for most historians — an era which ended with the Islamic Revolution.^[2][3]

References and notes

1. Andrew Scott Cooper (9 August 2011). The Oil Kings: How the U.S., Iran, and Saudi Arabia Changed the Balance of Power in the Middle East. Simon and Schuster. pp. 59–. ISBN 978-1-4391-5517-2.
2. Iran Between Two Revolutions by Ervand Abrahamian, p.480
3. Mottahedeh, Roy, The Mantle of the Prophet : Religion and Politics in Iran, One World, Oxford, 1985, 2000, p.329