Iran Uses Drones to Target Militants in Baluchistan
Iranian authorities struggle to quell insurgency despite ongoing security campaigns
Two “terrorists” were killed Thursday evening by Iranian security forces in a drone strike in the province of Sistan-Baluchistan (southeast), inhabited by an ethnic minority, according to an official media report as tension mounts in these remote areas with mutual attacks between armed groups and Iranian authorities.
The IRNA news agency reported that “the terrorists’ vehicle was targeted during an operation by a security forces drone… on the outskirts of the city of Zahedan, resulting in the death of two terrorists.” The Sistan-Baluchistan province, one of the poorest regions in the country, is primarily inhabited by the Baluchi ethnic minority.
The group “Jaish al-Adl,” based in Pakistan, has claimed responsibility for several attacks in this region in recent months. The group was formed in 2012 and is classified as a “terrorist organization” by Iran and the United States.
On April 9, the group claimed responsibility for an attack on a police car that killed five of its members.
The “Jaish al-Adl” group had claimed responsibility for a dual attack on April 4 targeting a base of the Revolutionary Guards in Rask and a police station in Chabahar, both located in Sistan-Baluchistan. Sixteen police officers and eighteen attackers were killed, according to an official toll.
The region, bordered by Afghanistan and Pakistan, has long been the scene of recurring clashes between Iranian security forces and Sunni fighters, as well as between security forces and armed drug traffickers. Iran is a key transit route for smuggled drugs from Afghanistan to the west and other destinations.
In January, Iran targeted two bases of the group in Pakistan with missiles, prompting a swift military response from Islamabad that targeted what it said were armed separatists in Iran, with both countries managing to contain the crisis.
Iran and Pakistan often accuse each other of allowing rebel groups from both countries to use each other’s territory to carry out attacks.
Pakistan claims to have exchanged evidence with Iran about the presence of Baluchi separatists in Iran. It insists that the group has no organized presence in the region or elsewhere, but acknowledges that some militants may be hiding in remote areas of Baluchistan, the largest province in the country in terms of area and the most sensitive due to the long-standing rebellion.
Attacks by separatist militants, whether Sunni or from the Kurdish minority, have intensified in recent years, particularly after Iranian authorities cracked down on protests denouncing the killing of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini by police.
Iranian authorities and the Revolutionary Guards have unleashed unprecedented repression against the country’s religious and ethnic minorities, drawing criticism from international human rights organizations. It is worth noting that the number of Baluchis in Iran is approximately 4 to 5 million in the eastern and southeastern provinces of Iran.
