11 Iran security forces killed in attack on their base, media reports

At least 11 Iranian security force members have been killed in attacks on Iran’s Revolutionary Guards headquarters in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, state media said today according to Reuters.

The overnight unrest between the Jaish Al-Adl group and security forces took place in the towns of Chabahar and Rask, state TV said. Sixteen of the group’s fighters were also killed, local media reported.

“The terrorists failed to succeed in achieving their goal of seizing the Guards headquarters in Chabahar and Rask,” Deputy Interior Minister Majid Mirahmadi told state TV.

Ten other security officers were also injured in the fighting in the impoverished region, which has a predominantly Sunni Muslim population.

Jaish Al-Adl says it seeks greater rights and better living conditions for ethnic minority Baluchis in Shia-dominated Iran. It has claimed responsibility for several attacks in recent years on Iranian security forces in Sistan-Baluchestan.

The area, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan, has long been the site of firefights between Iranian security forces and militants as well as drug traffickers.

In January, Iran targeted two of the group’s bases in Pakistan with missiles, prompting a rapid military riposte from Islamabad targeting what it said were separatist militants in Iran.

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