UPDATES WITH CONCLUSION OF MILITARY OPERATION; ADDS CASUALTIES; CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE
By Syed Zafar Mehdi
TEHRAN (AA) — Eleven security personnel and 15 militants were killed in overnight clashes in southeastern Iran, authorities announced on Thursday.
In the course of a military operation to free several hostages taken by the Jaish al-Adl militant group in the province of Sistan and Baluchestan, two border guards, two police officers, and seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel were killed, reported state-run news agency IRNA, citing local security officials.
The clashes erupted in the cities of Chabahar and Rask after three simultaneous militant attacks were reported on a police station and two military bases, including one belonging to the IRGC in the province bordering Pakistan.
Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of IRGC's ground forces, told state TV said the "terrorist attacks" were carried out in several places in a coordinated manner and the perpetrators had operated as a group.
He said security personnel faced problems as the militants had taken several hostages in the provincial capital of Chabahar, adding that these were eventually released.
Majid Mirahmadi, the deputy interior minister for security affairs, told state TV that the militants had "failed" to seize control of the IRGC headquarters in Chabahar and Rask.
The Jaish al-Adl militant group, which is believed to have bases near the border with Pakistan, reportedly claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The group has in the past claimed responsibility for many attacks in the Sistan and Baluchestan province in recent years.
The last incident comes less than three months after IRGC launched a barrage of missiles at Pakistan’s Balochistan province in January, allegedly targeting the headquarters of the militant group.
It was followed by a Pakistani missile strike on a village in Iran’s border province, leading to the escalation of tensions between the two neighbors.