Iran initiated a series of attacks in Pakistan on Tuesday, targeting what it claimed were bases belonging to the militant group Jaish al-Adl in the border town of Panjgur, located in the Balochistan province. The Iranian state media reported the assault, resulting in swift condemnation from Islamabad.
According to the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim, “a combination of missile and drone attacks specifically targeted and successfully demolished two key strongholds of the Jaysh al-Dhulm (Jaish al-Adl) terrorist group in Pakistan.”
Jaish al-Adl has a history of launching attacks on Iranian security forces in the border region shared with Pakistan. Notably, Tuesday’s incident in Balochistan occurred a day after Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards targeted locations in Iraq and Syria with missiles.
Pakistan Condemns Unprovoked Attack: Pakistan strongly condemned what it deemed an unprovoked violation of its airspace by Iran. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the strike within Pakistani territory resulted in the tragic death of two children and injuries to three girls.
The ministry issued a statement on Tuesday night, asserting, “This violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty is completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences.” However, the statement did not specify the exact location of the attacks.
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Pakistan’s Strong Condemnation of the Unprovoked Violation of its Air Space
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— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) January 16, 2024
The region known as Kouh-Sabz (green mountain)” in Balochistan was the “focal point of this operation,” according to Tasnim.
Local Impact: Local authorities acknowledged receiving information about the attack but had limited details at the time of reporting. Reports from the area indicated that a missile struck a mosque, causing partial damage and injuring several individuals.
In an official response, the foreign office labeled the incident as an “illegal act” and informed that a strong protest had been lodged with Tehran. The Iranian charge d’affaires was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convey the “strongest condemnation of this blatant violation.”
