10 Iranian Soldiers Killed in Deadly Militant Attacks Near Pakistan Border

Tehran: Ten Iranian security personnel were killed in clashes with militants in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, state media reported on Thursday. The Jaish al-Adl militant group claimed responsibility for the attacks, which targeted a Revolutionary Guards base and a police post.

These attacks, reminiscent of a similar incident in December, targeted Sistan-Baluchistan province, long plagued by unrest involving drug smuggling, Baluchi minority rebels, and Sunni Muslim extremists.

State television confirmed the closure of the case with the martyrdom of 10 security personnel and the elimination of 18 terrorists. Majid Mirahmadi, vice-minister of the interior, stated that the attacks targeted a Guards base in Rask and a police post in Chabahar, resulting in the deaths of five members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the police.

Mirahmadi indicated that the assailants, suspected to be foreigners, aimed to seize military bases but were unsuccessful. The number of assailants killed in clashes also rose from earlier reports.

The Jaish al-Adl group, based in Pakistan and labelled a “terrorist” organization by both Iran and the United States, claimed responsibility for the attacks. This Sunni Muslim rebel group, formed in 2012, previously conducted attacks in December and January, resulting in casualties among Iranian security forces.