Two Iranian civilians killed in cross-border 'terrorist attack'

Iranian border forces killed one of the attackers and wounded two others

TEHRAN: Two Iranian civilians were killed in a cross-border attack by insurgents, the Revolutionary Guards said.

“On Saturday evening, a terrorist team… fired [ammunition] from within Pakistani territory towards the Iranian border region of Saravan, in Sistan-Baluchistan province, the Guards said in a statement on their Sepahnews website. “Two local workers in the region were martyred in this terrorist attack,” it added.

Forces from the Quds force – the Guards’ foreign operations wing – killed one of the attackers and wounded two, while others fled back into Pakistani territory, the communique added.

The insurgent group was not identified, but for years the region has been the site of frequent attacks by the Jaish al Adl militant group, which Tehran claims has links to al Qaeda and is based in Balochistan.



Jaish al Adl was blamed for an attack in April that killed 10 Iranian border guards in the nearby Mirjaveh region.

President Hassan Rowhani wrote to  Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif calling for greater efforts to prevent insurgent attacks along the border.

The Guards also said on June 19 that they had killed the leader and four members of another militant group called Ansar al Furqan in the Iranian port city of Chabahar in Sistan-Balochistan province.



Also, at least four mortar shells were fired from the Iranian side into the Pakistani territory in Prome area of the Panjgur district. However, no casualties were reported on Sunday. All mortal shell landed on a barren land -- far away from the population.

The Panjgur deputy commissioner confirmed the incident and said four mortar shells were fired from the Iranian side between Pillar 154; however, no casualties occurred.

Levies personnel visited the site where the shells landed and dispatched a report to the Chagai deputy commissioner.

(With additional input from our correspondent in Quetta)