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Unknown assailants killed two Iranian border guards in Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchistan province, Islamic Republic News Agency reported on July 16. It was the second such fatal attack this year, following the gunning down of a mid-ranking commander in April.
The region, bordering tribal areas of Pakistan, is known as the poorest part of Iran and is primarily Sunni Muslim. In recent years, ethnic Baluchi have stepped up efforts targeting Islamic Republican Guard Corp (IRGC) officials visiting the area.
According to the news report, the attack took place late on the afternoon of July 15, with several people on the Pakistani side of the porous border shooting at Iranians.
IRGC members fired back across the border and reportedly killed one assailant, while two others escaped.
The Tehran government is facing a low-level insurgency mounted by groups like the Jundullah, who are looking to create a separate Baluchi state between Pakistan and Iran.
Despite ongoing security issues in the south of the country, joint military operations with the Pakistani military remain relatively limited.
Iran has consistently said that the attacks occurring in the south-east of the country are directed by enemy forces from Saudi Arabia, with Iranian generals directly blaming the country for the attacks.
This latest attack comes just a few weeks after the June 7 terror attacks in Tehran which killed 17 people and left nearly three dozen more severely injured.
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