The attack also follows Iranian moves against Iraq and Syria less than a day earlier, as Tehran is wreaking havoc following a double suicide bombing claimed this month by the Sunni militant organization Islamic State that killed more than 90 people.
THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE U. S. CONDEMNS IRAN’S ATTACKS ON ONIRBIL
Iran’s official IRNA news firm and state television said missiles and drones were used in the moves in Pakistan. Press TV, the English-language arm of Iran’s state television, blamed the attack on Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards.
Jaish al-Adl, or “Army of Justice,” is a Sunni militant organization founded in 2012 that operates largely across the border from Pakistan. The militants have claimed responsibility for bombings and kidnapped Iran’s border police in the past.
Iran has been battling militants in border areas, a missile and drone attack on Pakistan is unprecedented for Iran. Iranian reports describe that the movements took up positions in the mountains of Pakistan’s Balochistan province.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a meeting with a group of students in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday, Nov. 1. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs harshly criticized the attacks.
“Pakistan strongly condemns Iran’s unprovoked violation of its airspace, which resulted in the death of two innocent young men and the injuring of three young girls,” he said. “This violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty is absolutely unacceptable and can have serious consequences. “
He added: “Pakistan has stated that terrorism is a common risk for all countries in the region that requires coordinated action. Such unilateral acts are not in line with intelligent neighbourly relations and can seriously undermine bilateral confidence. “
Two Pakistani security officials said Iranian measures vandalized a mosque in Balochistan’s Panjgur district, about 30 miles inside Pakistan from the Iranian border. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because it was legal to speak to reporters.
The attack came as Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met with Pakistan’s acting Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It was not without delay that it became apparent what the men were discussing.
Baluchistan has faced a low-level insurgency by Baluch nationalists for more than two decades. Baluch nationalists initially wanted a share of provincial resources, but later initiated an insurgency for independence.
Iran has long suspected Sunni-majority Pakistan of harboring insurgents, most likely at the behest of regional rival Saudi Arabia. However, Iran and Saudi Arabia achieved a détente under the auspices of China last March, easing tensions.
At the same time, attacks by militants from Iran have targeted Pakistani security forces. In April 2023, a militant attack from the Iranian border killed 4 Pakistanis in Balochistan province.
On Monday night, Iran fired missiles at northern Syria, the Islamic State organization and Iraq, targeting what it called an Israeli “spy headquarters” near the U. S. consulate complex in the city of Erbil.
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Tuesday’s attacks in Iraq, which killed several civilians, constituted a “flagrant violation” of Iraqi sovereignty and its ambassador in Tehran.