Sistan and Baluchestan provincial police announced on Thursday that a police officer had been killed in an attack targeting a security patrol in Zahedan, south-eastern Iran, as another armed attack was reported on a minibus carrying army ground forces employees in the Nikshahr area. Provincial police said security units were continuing operations to arrest those responsible for the patrol attack after managing to identify them.
Nikshahr attack targets military bus
In Nikshahr, Iranian television reported that militants had targeted the minibus carrying ground forces employees. The incidents come as Iran’s outlying areas experience repeated explosions and clashes, putting Sistan and Baluchestan province and western parts of the country at the centre of security developments once again.
Iran’s border areas are characterised by complex terrain, including mountains and rugged roads. They also run along the borders of several countries and are home to diverse ethnic and racial groups. At the beginning of October this year, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced that one of its members had been killed in a bomb explosion in Sistan and Baluchestan province.
This coincided with armed clashes and an ongoing security operation against armed groups in the Rask area. The province also saw two people killed in September during clashes between security forces and militants.
