TEHRAN, Iran (BN24) — Iranian security forces killed two senior members of the militant group Jaish al-Adl in the restive southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan, authorities said Thursday, in the latest escalation of violence in a region long plagued by insurgent activity and armed clashes.
Provincial police commander Doostali Jalilian told reporters that the two militants were planning to stage an attack in the city of Iranshahr but were intercepted and killed before carrying out their plot. “These individuals were members of the terrorist group Jaish al-Zulm [another name for Jaish al-Adl],” Jalilian said, adding that security forces acted preemptively to neutralize the threat.
Jalilian also said that six terrorists involved in earlier armed attacks on military centers in the city of Chabahar were recently detained and handed over to judicial authorities. In addition, he noted that security forces have arrested 29 armed bandits in the province over recent weeks, underscoring continued crackdowns against militant and criminal networks in the volatile border region.
The announcement comes a day after state television reported that Iranian forces killed 13 militants in three separate operations across Sistan and Baluchistan. Among those killed, eight were identified as members of the group that ambushed and killed five policemen on patrol last Friday. Authorities have blamed Jaish al-Adl for that deadly attack, saying the Sunni militant group seeks to destabilize the region under the guise of advocating for greater rights for the ethnic Baluch minority.
According to state media, the Wednesday clashes occurred in three separate cities in the province, with police and paramilitary Revolutionary Guard units taking part in coordinated raids. Officials confirmed that several additional militants were detained but did not disclose exact numbers.
Sistan and Baluchistan, which borders both Afghanistan and Pakistan, has long been a flashpoint for armed confrontations between Iranian security forces, Sunni militant factions, and heavily armed drug traffickers who exploit the region’s rugged terrain and porous borders. It remains one of Iran’s least developed provinces, fueling tensions that insurgent groups have sought to exploit in their campaigns against Tehran.
The operations this week mark one of the most significant security escalations in the area in months, as authorities intensify efforts to prevent militant groups from mounting further attacks.
