Iran: 9 killed in a new clash between gunmen and guards in Sistan-Balochistan province

Nine people, including three members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, have been killed in fresh clashes with militants in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Balochistan province.

In a statement published on its official website Sepah News overnight, the Revolutionary Guards said that its forces were able to locate the hideout of a number of armed bad men in the Kurin area of Sistan-Balochistan province, which borders Pakistan, AFP reported.

Six of the gunmen were killed and five others were wounded in a clash, he said.

The Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps statement said that three local Basij fighters were killed while defending the security and stability of the people.

This announcement came yesterday a day after the guards confirmed the killing of three gunmen, who were involved in the killing of two of their members in the province last December 25th.

Sistan-Balochistan province is often the scene of frequent skirmishes between Iranian security forces and armed groups.

While many of these confrontations are linked to smuggling attempts, some of them stemming from clashes with Baloch separatists or radical jihadist groups operating in the region, Tehran has previously accused Islamabad of providing them with support.

Last November 18, Iranian state media reported that three security forces members, including a colonel, were killed during a clash with gunmen in Sistan- Balochistan. Last July, the Guards announced that four of its members were killed during a similar clash in the same province.