Iran said it struck headquarters of a Sunni armed group in Pakistan just hours after its deadly strikes in Iraq and Syria.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported that sites belonging to Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) in Balochistan were struck with missiles and drones. Further details were not immediately available. Pakistani officials have not commented on the strikes.
The attack follows IRGC strikes on Iraq and Syria on Monday night. The organization said the Syria strikes were in response to the Islamic State attack in the Iranian city of Kerman earlier this month and an attack in Iran’s Rask last month.
Several Iranian police officers were killed near Rask in the attack claimed by Jaish al-Adl.
Jaish al-Adl is an Islamist group that seeks greater rights for Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province, which is home to Iran’s Sunni Baluchi minority. The group is designated as a terror outfit by Iran and the United States.
Iran regularly clashes with armed groups near the Pakistani border but Tuesday’s strikes have gone deeper into Pakistani territory.
Umar Karim, an associate fellow at King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, called the attack significant and unprecedented in how it was communicated by Iran. “This is the first time that Iran very vocally acknowledges [such an attack], as opposed to previous such instances when there was no such announcement or acknowledgement.”
“This shows that Iran will not stop now from targeting such groups across its eastern border and will use missiles and drones,” Karim told Al-Monitor.
The strikes set a precedent, he argued, that “Iran can be expected to go against these militant groups inside Pakistan in the future.”
Karim expects Pakistan’s official response to be contained. “Pakistan will try to hush up the affair, as they do not want to create a new issue with Iran and are more interested in internally managing dissent while trying to hold elections in the country.”
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
