On March 28, 1983, 16 Kurdish villagers were massacred by IRGC forces because they provided refuge for Kurdish Peshmarga rebels. Children, aged 3 to 4, and elderly men and women were among the victims. Earlier, IRGC forces had killed dozens of babies, pregnant women and elderly in other villages on March 23 and 25.  These slaughters were carried out through burning houses, throwing people in the fire, throwing grenades in houses and firing at people before the eyes of their family members. More than 60 individuals were killed and hundreds were injured. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was one of the IRGC commanders in Kurdistan at the time and had a direct role in this massacre.