Iran’s Bold Strikes: Targeting Militant Group in Pakistan
Iran reported that it carried out a missile strike against a militant group in western Pakistan. This marks its third air strike on a foreign country this week, following attacks in Iraq and Syria. Iranian state TV stated that the operation targeted two sites in Balochistan linked to the militant group Jaish al-Adl.
Pakistani officials confirmed casualties, with two children killed and three others injured. Islamabad criticized the air strike as an “illegal act” and warned of potential “serious consequences.” This incident adds to the heightened tensions in the Middle East, with ongoing conflicts in Israel and Gaza, as well as recent US-UK air strikes in Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi militants have targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
China has urged both Pakistan and Iran to exercise restraint and avoid actions that could escalate tension. Tuesday’s strike in Pakistan specifically targeted a village in Balochistan. Jaish al-Adl, an ethnic Baloch Sunni Muslim group, was the focus of the attack, as it has been responsible for attacks inside Iran and on Pakistani government forces.
Earlier in the week, Iran launched ballistic missiles at targets in Iraq and struck locations in Syria’s Idlib province. The strikes in Syria were reportedly in retaliation for a recent suicide bombing that killed 84 people, commemorating the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani by the US.
Despite the delicate but generally cordial relationship between Pakistan and Iran, both nations have accused each other of harboring militant groups that conduct cross-border attacks. The recent attack occurred on the same day that Pakistan’s prime minister and Iran’s foreign minister met in Davos, and while the two countries’ navies engaged in joint military drills in the Gulf.
Security concerns along the shared 900km border have been a longstanding issue for both nations. The targeted Sabz Koh village, about 45km from the Iranian border, is described as sparsely populated and home to Baloch tribes. Iran has linked Jaish al-Adl to attacks last month near the border that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen Iranian police officers.
Jaish al-Adl is recognized as the “most active and influential” Sunni militant group in Sistan-Baluchestan, designated as a terrorist group by both Washington and Tehran.