Pakistan attacks suspected 'terrorist' targets in Iran

The move comes after Tehran carried out similar attacks in Pakistan.

At least three women and four children were killed in explosions in southeastern Iran, state media reported. Several missiles fired from Pakistan landed in a village in the border province of Sistan-Baluchestan.

In a statement, Pakistan's foreign ministry confirmed that it had "conducted a series of highly targeted and coordinated precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts in Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province", adding that "several terrorists were eliminated".

Pakistani media reported that the country attacked the posts of two separatist groups, the Balochistan Liberation Front and the Balochistan Liberation Army, near the city of Saravan in Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province. There is currently no information about damage or casualties.

Earlier, on the evening of January 16, Iran attacked a number of targets that Tehran said were linked to terrorism in Pakistan. Islamabad said two children were killed in the attack.

Tehran said the attack targeted the Jaish al-Adl group, which has claimed responsibility for attacks on Iranian security forces near the border with Pakistan.

On the same day, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had destroyed a terrorist group linked to the Jaish al-Adl group in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan.

On the official Sepah News portal, the IRGC stated that "this terrorist group is well armed and is seeking to carry out terrorist acts in the region".

Iranian border guards attacked the group in the village of Kastag, Sistan-Baluchestan province. One terrorist was killed in the attack, while the rest of the group fled the scene.

In the attack, Iran seized a large amount of weapons, ammunition, explosives and bomb-making equipment that were being stored for plotting to carry out large-scale “acts of sabotage” in the region.

The IRGC and Iranian border guards immediately hunted down and surrounded the fleeing “terrorists” and are taking necessary measures to dismantle the gang.

According to the IRGC’s Quds Force, Jaish al-Adl has carried out a number of “terrorist acts” against Iranian security forces and civilians over the years. The group claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack on a police station in Rask County on December 15, 2023, which killed 11 police officers and injured seven others.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has protested the attack, calling it a "violation of Pakistan's sovereignty" and recalled its ambassador to Iran.

According to Xinhua News Agency, on January 17, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had a phone call with his Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani, affirming that Tehran would pay attention to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighboring Pakistan.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the two sides discussed the counter-terrorism operations carried out by the Islamic Republic against the Jaish al-Adl group in Pakistan. He affirmed that Iran respects and takes into account the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighboring Pakistan, stressing that Pakistan's security is important to Tehran. However, the Jaish al-Adl group poses a "terrorist" threat to security in both countries.

For his part, the Pakistani Foreign Minister expressed the two countries' shared desire to fight terrorism, stressing that Islamabad attaches great importance to Iran's security. He affirmed that if there is any threat against Iran within Pakistani territory, the government will take decisive action.