Three border guards killed in attack in Iran’s restive southeast

Three border guards were killed in an attack in southeastern Iran on Thursday, an assault claimed by the Sunni Islamist militant group Jaish al-Adl, according to Iran's state news agency.

The attack took place in Mirjaveh, a city in Sistan-Baluchestan province near the Pakistani border.

According to IRNA, gunmen in a car opened fire on a border regiment vehicle, killing two soldiers and an officer. A civilian was also wounded in the attack.

This incident is part of a broader pattern of violence in Sistan-Baluchestan, a province that has witnessed numerous attacks attributed to Jaish al-Adl.

Earlier this year, Iran launched missiles at targets in Pakistan claiming to have retaliated against Jaish al-Adl. Pakistan, resenting the violation of its territory, conducted airstrikes in Iran against alleged bases of its own Baluch insurgents. These cross-border operations heightened tensions between the two countries, even as they insisted that their primary targets were Baluch separatist factions.

Jaish al-Adl has a history of conducting ambushes, bombings, and other violent operations, leading to the deaths of both civilians and security personnel. In April, at least 22 Iranian policemen were killed in two separate clashes in the province.

The militant group has been designated a terrorist organization by both Iran and the United States, along with several international bodies.

The group has been involved in a series of cross-border attacks, including the abduction of border guards and security personnel, as well as bombings targeting Iranian military forces, particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Last month, Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for the killing of a deputy chief of the Public Security Police Department in Khash, another city within the same province. Over the years, the group has carried out numerous attacks, aiming to highlight the plight of the Baluch minority, who they argue suffer from systematic discrimination, poverty, and lack of political, economic, and social empowerment.

The UN Special Rapporteur has previously highlighted that the Baluch community in Iran faces systemic marginalization and severe socio-economic hardships. The region is one of the poorest in the country, leaving its residents particularly vulnerable to both man-made and natural disasters, which deepens their sense of disempowerment and lack of representation.