ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — An Iranian soldier opened fire in Tehran's Kahrizaz Tira Square killing four of his comrades and wounding 12 others on Sunday.
The shooting was near a military garrison in the Shurobad neighborhood in the afternoon hours, as reported by Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency
One of the victims was an officer. Other soldiers wounded killed the assailant in an ensuing shootout. All injured soldiers were taken to nearby hospitals, the report said.
Abdullah Minooi, the director of the Shahid Beheshtiar Hospital, told Mehr that the soldier who began shooting and another person died before reaching the hospital, while two died in the hospital.
Mehr reported the motive for the attack remained unclear, but officials including a special investigating judge in coordination with Tehran's military prosecutor's office are investigating.
This is at least the third case of an Iranian soldier opening fire on his colleagues in the past year.
A soldier shot and killed three of his own in the town of Abyek about 100 kilometers west of Tehran in July. The assailant reportedly shot himself in the incident, but survived and was taken to a nearby hospital.
A soldier in southern Iran killed himself after shooting to death three of his comrades in September 2016.
Iran has forced military conscription with up to two years of mandatory service for men 19 years and older.
