Tehran, Apr 4 (EFE).- At least 11 security men and 16 militants were killed in prolonged gunfights on Thursday in Iran’s restive Sistan-Baluchistan province, officials said.
The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said groups of fighters from the Sunni-Muslim militant Jaish al-Adl group carried out simultaneous attacks on police and military bases in the Rask and Chabahar cities of the southeastern province late Wednesday night.
The official news agency said the gunmen opened fire on a Revolutionary Guard post in Rask and a coastguard station in Chabahar, close to the border with Pakistan and some 1,400 km southeast from Tehran.
“Two police officers, two border guards, and seven Revolutionary Guard and Basij (paramilitary) volunteer forces were killed in armed clashes with the Jaish al-Adl terrorist group,” the news agency said.
IRNA said another 10 other security force members were injured and at least eight gunmen were killed during the gunfights.
Additionally, 16 militants were killed died in the gun battles that continued for several hours.
Iran’s Deputy Interior Minister for Security, Majid Mirahmadi the “terror group’s simultaneous terror attacks were completely foiled due to the alertness of security and law enforcement forces.”
According to officials, the attackers also took hostages in Chabahar, who were released after hours of clashes between security forces and the militants.
The Pakistan-based Jaish al-Adl Sunni militant group has claimed responsibility for several attacks in recent years on Iranian security forces in the southeastern province.
The militant group opposed to Iran’s Shiite regime seeks an independent homeland for ethnic Baluchs to be carved out of the Sistan-Baluchistan province bordering Pakistan.
The group operates along the porous border between Iran and Pakistan.
It claimed responsibility for the attack in which 11 policemen were killed in the Iranian city of Rask in December, among other attacks in recent years.
In late January, Iran launched missile and drone strikes on Jaish al-Adl positions in Pakistan, sparking diplomatic tensions between the two neighbors.
The Sistan-Baluchistan region boasts a predominantly Sunni population.
In recent months, attacks by insurgent groups, deemed terror outfits by Tehran, have intensified in the province, particularly along the border areas with Pakistan. EFE
jlr-ssk
