A Member of Parliament: Some Perpetrators of the Attack on Border Guards Identified

On Sunday, April 29, the Vice President of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament announced that some of the perpetrators responsible for the deaths of 10 Iranian border guards in Mirjaveh have been identified. Abolfazl Hassanbeigi told the Tasnim news agency that according to security officials, some individuals involved in the 'terrorist' attack on Iranian border guards have been identified. Mr. Hassanbeigi also added that 'a few more days are needed' to arrest these individuals. According to the Young Journalists Club, Ali Osat Hashemi, the governor of Sistan and Baluchestan, also announced on Sunday that 'the identification of the hiding place of the terrorists involved in the Mirjaveh incident has been completed.' He added that 'the continuation of insecurity and disorder at the borders is intolerable for the Islamic Republic of Iran under these circumstances.' This government official also announced the beginning of efforts to 'rescue a soldier kidnapped by terrorists in Mirjaveh using local capacities and tribal leaders from Pakistan.' Border guards at 'Post Mile 100' from the Chahando battalion (Mirjaveh border regiment) were attacked by armed individuals last Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of 9 border guards and injuries to 2 others. The fate of another soldier remains unknown, and the Jaish al-Adl group has claimed responsibility for this attack. In response to this attack, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Pakistani ambassador in Tehran, and Hassan Rouhani also sent a letter to the Prime Minister of Pakistan demanding 'legal action' and prosecution of those responsible for this attack. Bahram Qasemi, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, also called on the Pakistani government last Thursday to be accountable for what he described as the 'presence and operations of evil groups' on its soil. The Sistan and Baluchestan province in southeastern Iran has repeatedly been the site of confrontations between military and law enforcement forces and armed groups, which Iranian officials refer to as 'terrorists,' 'smugglers,' and 'bandits.' Meanwhile, armed groups opposed to the Islamic Republic of Iran in Sistan and Baluchestan, which Tehran claims are based in Pakistan, call themselves 'defenders of Sunni rights.' Iranian officials have long protested the presence of these groups in Pakistan and have asked Islamabad to prevent their activities. The Iranian Parliament also invited a Pakistani parliamentary delegation to discuss the latest attack by these groups on the Mirjaveh border regiment, but 'due to the absence of the Pakistani delegation, this meeting was postponed to another time.' Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, the spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament, has also stated that 'the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran must firmly pursue the terrorist incident in Mirjaveh and the martyrdom of border guards by terrorists.' He mentioned that a report on this incident is set to be read in the National Security Commission, and 'if necessary, this report will also be read in the open session of the Parliament.' In this context, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan condemned the killing of Iranian border guards.