Suspected Sunni Muslim militants were responsible for the deaths of at least 11 members of the Iranian security forces and incurred 16 fatalities in assaults on the Revolutionary Guards headquarters in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, according to state media reports Thursday.
The overnight confrontations with the Jaish al-Adl group occurred in the towns of Chabahar and Rask, as reported by state TV. “The terrorists did not achieve their objective of overtaking the Guards headquarters in Chabahar and Rask,” Deputy Interior Minister Majid Mirahmadi told state broadcasters.
Additionally, state media indicated that 10 other security officers were injured in the skirmishes within this economically disadvantaged region, home to a predominantly Sunni Muslim populace.
Jaish al-Adl claims it is advocating for increased rights and improved living conditions for the ethnic minority Baluchis in Shiite-majority Iran and has acknowledged orchestrating multiple attacks on Iranian security personnel in Sistan-Baluchestan in recent years.
This area, abutting Afghanistan and Pakistan, is a frequent scene of conflicts between Iranian forces and Sunni militants, as well as drug traffickers. Iran serves as a major passageway for drugs smuggled from Afghanistan to Western countries and beyond.
A previous assault by the militant faction on a Rask police station in December resulted in the death of 11 security staff. Following an attack by Jaish al-Adl in January, Iran launched missile strikes on two of the group’s bases in Pakistan, leading to a swift military response from Islamabad against what it described as separatist militants within Iran.
