Prominent tribal leader killed in Iranian city hit by unrest

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN (AA) – A prominent tribal leader was killed by unidentified assailants in Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province on Thursday evening.

Amanullah Shahouzahi was shot dead in an attack on Baset Street in the provincial capital Zahedan, local media reports cited prosecutors as saying.

Col. Khodarahm Foroughi, deputy police chief in Zahedan, said preliminary investigations point to a “clan dispute.”

The incident comes amid growing unrest in Zahedan, a Sunni-majority city that borders Pakistan, with frequent clashes reported between security forces and protesters.

Tensions have particularly escalated in the last few months since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini’s death in the custody of Iran’s morality police triggered nationwide protests.

Earlier this month, a prominent Shia cleric and prayer leader, Sajjad Shahraki, was shot dead outside his mosque in Zahedan.

In late September, more than 40 people were killed in clashes with police after an armed group of protesters stormed a police station.

In a bid to restore normalcy, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently sent a delegation to Sistan and Baluchestan for talks with various tribal groups.

Tribal leaders called for a judicial probe into recent incidents, as well as efforts to address socioeconomic problems in a province that has long complained of official apathy and discrimination.