Word: mujahedins
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They were the two most wanted men in Iran, hunted for "high treason" by the vengeful mullahs around Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini. When darkness fell on Tehran on July 28, Abolhassan Banisadr, the deposed President, and Massoud Rajavi, his ally and leader of the urban guerrillas known as the Mujahedin-e Khalq (People's Crusaders), slipped on stolen military uniforms and sneaked from their hideout into a small army van. They were driven to a military airfield, passing unrecognized through security controls (Banisadr had shaved his familiar mustache), and boarded an Iranian air force Boeing...
Waiting at the plane was Colonel Behzad Moezi, one of Iran's most accomplished pilots and a man with a remarkable background. He flew the Shah into exile in January 1979. But after growing sympathetic to the revolution, he returned to Iran and joined the Mujahedin. Suspected by the Ayatullah's entourage, Moezi in effect was grounded until war broke out with Iraq. Reinstated with the help of Banisadr, Moezi had flown more combat missions than any other Iranian pilot...
...Banisadr is depending for most of his support on the Mujahedin, who spent years battling the Shah's secret police. More to the point, the Mujahedin want a modern Islamic state, a fact that undercuts the appeal of the mullahs and their obsession with the past. The guerrillas are estimated to have as many as 100,000 people under arms, with several hundred thousand additional sympathizers. The clerics have accused the Mujahedin of a rash of devastating bombings, including the June 28 explosion at Islamic Republic Party headquarters that may have killed as many as 150 people...
...Mujahedin Leader Rajavi protected Banisadr by shuffling him among four guerrilla "safe houses" while he was in hiding. The two men cemented their alliance during long talks in their hideaways. They saw their strengths as complementary: Banisadr offering legitimacy as an elected President with broad popularity; Rajavi supplying military firepower and a keenly disciplined organization...
...fool the Islamic Guards, Khomeini's vigilantes, the Mujahedin spread rumors that Banisadr was hiding in Kurdistan. Actually, Banisadr spent the entire time in Tehran. He was able to move around the capital, not exactly at will but frequently, sometimes in a small car, sometimes in taxis. He wore no disguises, although he did give up his glasses, and only shaved his mustache for his escape. Occasionally, he was recognized, but no one reported him to the police. Most of the time, however, he traveled without attracting any attention...