Pakistan has launched military strikes against separatist targets in Iran following Tehran’s deadly attack on its own territory.
Source: CNN
Literally CNN: “Islamabad said Thursday that its forces have launched a “series of highly coordinated and targeted precision military strikes” in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan in an operation called “Marg Bar Sarmachar” – a phrase that roughly translates to “death to the guerrillas.” “.
Details: According to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, a “certain number” of militants were killed during the operation.
Tehran reportedly demanded an “immediate explanation” from Pakistan over the strikes.
Deputy Governor of Sistan and Baluchestan Province Alireza Marhamati said the strikes killed 9 people, including 3 women and 4 children.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, who is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, and caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, who is visiting Uganda, have decided to cut short their trips and return home.
The publication recalls that both Pakistan and Iran have long battled militants in the restive Baloch region along the 900-kilometer border, but the latest incident marks a major escalation between the two neighboring countries and comes amid regional fighting in the Middle East due to the ongoing war. Israel in the Gaza Strip.
Pakistan said it “fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran” and that “the sole purpose of today’s act was to ensure Pakistan’s own security and national interests, which are paramount and cannot be compromised.”
Pakistan added that it had expressed concerns to Iran in recent years about the “safe havens and havens” of Pakistani separatist militants, called Sarmachars, inside Iran, and that it had shared evidence of the militants’ presence and activities.
“However, due to the lack of response to our serious concerns, these so-called sarmachars continued to shed the blood of innocent Pakistanis with impunity. This morning’s action was carried out in the light of credible intelligence reports of the preparation of large-scale terrorist activities,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.
Background:
- The Pakistani operation comes a day after Iran said it used “precision missile and drone strikes” to destroy two strongholds of the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl.
- The strikes reportedly killed two children and injured several others. Pakistan called the attack an “unprovoked violation of the country’s airspace by Iran” and warned Iran of “serious consequences.”
- In turn, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that his country only attacked Iranian “terrorists” on Pakistani soil and that “not a single citizen of the friendly country Pakistan was targeted by Iran’s missiles and drones.”
2024-01-18 09:55:35
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