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Iran Threatens to Attack Baluchi Fighters inside Pakistan | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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A file photo of an Iranian border guard. (AFP)


London – Iran’s Chief of Army Staff Major General Mohammad Baqeri threatened on Monday to strike Baluchi bases in Pakistani territories if Islamabad fails to control its borders and stop militant activities near the eastern border regions of the country.

Baqeri said Tehran refuses to tolerate this situation in the joint borders with Pakistan, adding that “if the situation continued, we will hit the terrorists’ safe havens anywhere they are.”

He also said Iran expects “Pakistani officials to show responsibility, control their borders, arrest terrorists and shut down outlaws’ bases.”

The Iranian general’s comments came after the Baluchi group Jaish al-Adl or “The Army of Justice” attacked last month a military convoy of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards near the city of Mirjaveh in the southeastern Baluchistan district.

According to a Revolutionary Guards spokesperson, Iran lost more than 10 of its members during the attack.

Baqeri accused regional states of supporting Baluchi groups and of training them in Pakistan.

However, in a telephone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday, Jaish al-Adl’s public relations office, Ibrahim Azizi denied Iranian allegations that his group was receiving military support from other countries in order to launch military operations against Iranian security forces.

He said: “The security apparatus starts launching accusations after every military operation.”

He added: “Unfortunately, we haven’t received any support from any state until now. We rely on the popular support.”

The spokesperson said that had the group welcome foreign support, adding however that had it received any, Jaish al-Adl would have been much stronger now.

Azizi also accused the Iranian security forces of keeping quiet on the military operations launched by Jaish al-Adl deep in the Balushistan district against Iranian forces, while they “amplify” the operations that happen on the borders in order to put pressure on the Pakistani and Afghani governments.