Arrest of 'Armed Elements' in Taftan; Continued Military Helicopter Flights Over Zahedan

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that four individuals involved in the armed attack in Taftan, which resulted in the deaths of 10 law enforcement members, have been arrested. The Quds Headquarters of the IRGC stated in a statement on Sunday evening, November 6, that in addition to this, four other attackers were killed and 'a number were injured and fled.' The headquarters also claimed that this operation was carried out 'using combat drones of the IRGC Ground Forces.' Meanwhile, the Halosh media outlet, which covers news from Sistan and Baluchestan, published images early on Tuesday, November 7, of a 'military helicopter' flying at low altitude over Zahedan city. The Telegram channel Saberin News, close to the IRGC Ground Forces, shortly after released the same images and claimed that 'operations to arrest' the remaining elements of the armed attack in Taftan are ongoing. The Sistan and Baluchestan police announced two days earlier that 10 soldiers and personnel from the Goharkouh police station in Taftan were killed in an armed attack. The Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the IRGC, also reported that this incident occurred during an attack on 'two patrol units returning to the police station.' The Jaish al-Adl group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, stating that these forces had raided the homes of locals 'who were protesting against the government's policies' and attempted to 'intimidate the locals from pursuing their demands' by arresting some. Armed clashes with opponents of the Islamic Republic in Sistan and Baluchestan have a history, and a significant number of both sides have been killed in these conflicts. Accordingly, in mid-October this year, following attacks by the Jaish al-Adl group in various cities of this province, several soldiers and military personnel of the Islamic Republic were killed. This paramilitary group, opposing the Iranian government, is recognized as a 'terrorist organization' by the Islamic Republic and several Western governments, including the United States. In one of these attacks, according to domestic news agencies, on October 1 in the Bent region of Nikshahr County, following the 'Compassion Festival' ceremony at the Mohsenin School in Sheikhān Bent, an attack by unknown armed individuals on police vehicles in the area resulted in the deaths of four and injuries to two. The Halosh media and the Baluch activists' campaign reported two days later that three young citizens were mistakenly killed due to military gunfire in the Belingi village in the Pirsahrab district of Chabahar County. The Tasnim news agency, close to the IRGC, on Thursday, October 12, labeled the deceased individuals as 'terrorists,' claiming they were affiliated with the 'Jaish al-Adl' group and were involved in the Nikshahr attack.