Iranian troops and Kurds continue battle in west

Government forces and autonomy- seeking Kurds battled in the western towns of Sanandaj and Saqqez for a fifth consecutive day Thursday, with 80 to 90 people reported killed. Nearly 200 people have been injured in fighting since Wednesday. Several areas of the city were without water and electricity supplies as shelling wrecked the pipelines and damaged power transmission facilities. A Kurdish religious leader, Sheikh Ezzeddin Husseini, has appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Commission of Human Rights.