10 Iranian Border Guards Killed in Sistan and Baluchestan; Jeish al-Adl Claims Responsibility

Iran’s Judiciary News Agency reported that 9 Iranian border guards were killed at the Iran-Pakistan border. The clash occurred in the border city of Mirjaveh, located 70 kilometers southeast of Zahedan, the capital of Sistan and Baluchestan Province.

According to Meezan News Agency, following the clash between border guard forces at Mirjaveh border outpost and armed forces, three law enforcement officers and 7 soldiers of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s security forces were killed.

Ali Mohammadi Rad, the General Prosecutor and Islamic Revolution Prosecutor of Zahedan, announced on Wednesday night that the Jeish al-Adl group claimed responsibility for the clash in Mirjaveh through the release of a statement. The Edalat News website, which covers news of the “Jeish al-Adl Organization of Iran,” has not yet reported on this clash.

This is the latest incident in recent months. Some ethnic tensions have sparked these clashes.

The Jeish al-Adl group, which is a remnant of Jundallah, was formed after the execution of its leader Abdolmalek Rigi to “fight the Islamic Republic.” Dozens of people have been killed in clashes between this group and officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran over the past three years.

Groups such as Jundallah and Jeish al-Adl claim that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s government ignores the rights of the Sunni and Baluch minorities in the region and sees armed struggle as the only way.

Previously, Abdulattar Doshooki, director of the Baluch Studies Center in London, said in a brief interview with Voice of America that Sunnis have not had a positive experience with Iran’s judiciary.

Sistan and Baluchestan Province has witnessed numerous clashes between armed individuals and Revolutionary Guard and police forces in recent years. Some of these armed individuals are drug smugglers and fuel smugglers or individuals and vehicles suspected of smuggling, with whom law enforcement and military forces engage in confrontations.

However, attacks by groups that identify themselves as defenders of Sunni rights or the Baluch people have also targeted Iran’s military and security forces. The Islamic Republic of Iran considers these groups to be terrorist organizations.

Source: Voice of America