Gunmen kill 5 Iran border guards near Pakistan border

Unknown gunmen yesterday killed five Iranian border guards in the province of Sistan and Baluchestan, southeastern Iran, the official Iranian agency IRNA reported.

According to IRNA, no party has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The media centre of the Internal Security Forces said in a statement that First Sergeant Reda Burji was seriously injured during the attack.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani condemned the attack, saying “terrorist groups” were responsible.

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Kanaani said the attack took place shortly after Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s participation in opening economic projects on the border between Iran and Pakistan and urged the Pakistani government to implement the bilateral security agreements aimed at eliminating terrorist groups as soon as possible.

On Thursday, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and Shahbaz Sharif participated in inaugurating a common border market as well as the launching of the electricity exchange project in the border region.

The opposition Jaish Al-Adl group, which the Iranian government classifies as a terrorist organisation, is active on the Iranian-Pakistani border in Sistan and Baluchistan province, and carries out attacks from time to time.

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