Militant Attack On Military Base In Iran’s Sistan, At Least One Dead

An armed attack on a military base near Rask in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province killed at least one police officer.

The economically challenged province adjacent to Afghanistan and Pakistan is home to a substantial Sunni community belonging to the Baluch ethnic group.

The population has faced ongoing persecution under the rule of Iran's Shiite clerics. The region has consistently witnessed confrontations between security forces and Sunni militants.

Jaish al-Adl, a militant group advocating for enhanced rights and improved living conditions for the Baluchi ethnic minority, has claimed responsibility for the attack. Over the past few years, the group has carried out multiple assaults on Iranian security forces in the province.

IRNA and Tasnim news agencies reported on Wednesday that members of a "terrorist group" launched an assault on the Jangal base in the Rask County at midnight.

According to Tasnim, “the confrontation between the attackers and the forces began at 1am, and after three hours without successfully infiltrating, the attackers withdrew.”

Salim Kadkhoda, the governor of Rask, also informed IRNA that during the conflict, Amir-Hossein Hosseinabadi, a commander from the law enforcement forces, was killed.

However, Jaish al-Adl in a message on its Telegram channel asserted that it has caused "significant damages and human casualties."

The Halvash website that covers developments in Sistan-Baluchestan Province in the southeast had earlier reported explosions and heavy gunfire exchanges around the base in Rask.

Halvash also mentioned that the attackers had previously blocked the routes leading to the confrontation site.

Further details about the incident have not yet been disclosed.

The attack on the base comes in the wake of a previous assault on December 15, where Jaish al-Adl militants targeted a police station in Rask. During that attack, 12 police officers were killed, and eight others were injured.