On 3th April, an attack on the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the border province of Sistan-Baluchestan in the southeast of Iran resulted in the deaths of at least 11 members of the country’s security forces. Iranian state TV reported that 18 members of the Sunni armed group Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) had been neutralised in a subsequent overnight conflict with security troops. The armed group had attacked multiple locations targeting Iranian security forces on Wednesday night.
Last night, 20 suicide bombers from inside Pakistan carried out a major terror attack inside Iran. All of the terrorists were killed, and 11 members of the Iranian police and armed forces were martyred.
— Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) April 4, 2024
Why do all the terrorists attack Iranians, Russians, Chinese, and Syrians? pic.twitter.com/9pBzc6IPyw
The commander of the IRGC’s Ground Force, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, informed Iranian national television that the armed group known as Jaish ul-Adl attacked an IRGC headquarters, a marine police station and a police station in the counties of Rask and Chabahar simultaneously. He revealed, “The terrorist elements were all equipped with suicide vests. The clashes in Rask ended. The operation is going on to purge the area (of terrorists) and the number of terrorists killed may increase,” according to Press TV. He added, “Currently, the security situation in Chabahar and Rask is normal and there is no problem there.”
According to Pakpour, 15 attackers were killed but their number in the clashes could rise to eighteen. Afterwards, the IRGC declared in a statement that security troops had eliminated all 18 militants who had received support from foreign elements. Following the deaths of the terrorists, the public relations of the IRGC Ground Forces’ Southeast Security Base claimed in a press release that normalcy had been restored to the cities. The statement also mentioned that terrorists had carried out assaults on five military and public sites located in Rask and Chabahar.
“10 members of security forces were also martyred and a number of others were injured,” the statement announced, however, the death toll rose to 11 later. The IRGC commander added, “Security forces freed the people the terrorists had taken hostage.” Terrorist attacks targeting people and security forces have occurred in Sistan and Baluchestan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan on multiple occasions in recent years.
Iran has placed Jaish al-Adl which came into existence in 2012 on a blacklist as a “terror” organisation. The outfit took responsibility for one of the bloodiest attacks in recent memory, which ended the lives of eleven police officers at a police station in Rask, Sistan-Baluchestan, located roughly 1,400 kilometres (875 miles) southwest of Tehran. The attack occurred in December.
Furthermore, it claimed responsibility for the 10th January that killed one officer at the Rask police station. Later that month, Iran fired missiles at two of the group’s strongholds in Pakistan, which prompted Islamabad to launch a military counterattack against what it alleged were armed separatists in Iran. The confrontation led to serious diplomatic tensions between the two Islamic countries. Islamabad also recalled its envoy from Tehran and dismissed Iran’s ambassador after Tehran launched a volley of missiles against Pakistan.
The region has long been rife with instability and the scene of regular skirmishes between drug traffickers and Iranian security personnel as well as Sunni fighters. Narcotics transported from Afghanistan to the West and other places pass through Iran on a regular basis.
