Commander of the IRGC Ground Forces Travels to Pakistan to Follow Up on Abducted Border Guards

The spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that the commander of the IRGC Ground Forces has traveled to Pakistan to pursue the release of 12 Iranian military personnel who were abducted. According to ISNA news agency, Ramadan Sharif reported that Mohammad Pakpour led a delegation to Pakistan on Monday morning, October 30. Pakpour had stated on Wednesday, October 25, that the Islamic Republic is ready for any joint operations with the Pakistani army 'to apprehend the criminals and free the hostages, and we are pursuing this matter.' Previously, the Iranian Minister of Interior and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces had called for 'swift and decisive action' from Pakistan to free 14 Iranian military personnel and arrest their abductors. Iranian military and security officials have repeatedly criticized Pakistan, accusing Islamabad of 'negligence' in securing the shared borders. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated on Monday that the shared borders with Afghanistan and India are of greater importance to Pakistan. Zarif noted that Pakistani officials have promised to increase their forces along the border with Iran. The Islamic Republic has also previously launched rockets into Pakistani territory on two occasions. Last Tuesday, several Iranian military personnel were abducted, and the group 'Jaish al-Adl' announced that its members had 'completely disarmed' a security post in the city of Mirjaveh early on Tuesday. The IRGC has mentioned the role of 'infiltrators' in this incident, and the IRGC commander stated that these individuals were 'first rendered unconscious' and then abducted. Initially, the number of abducted individuals was reported as 14, but the IRGC spokesperson stated on Monday that 12 had been abducted, and the Jaish al-Adl channel published images of 12 individuals. In the images released by the channel associated with Jaish al-Adl, the abducted individuals are seen sitting on the ground with heavy weapons, including RPGs and machine guns, arranged in front of them. The Jaish al-Adl group, which has previously clashed with Iranian forces in this province, claims to defend 'Sunni people' in Sistan and Baluchestan. Meanwhile, Iranian officials label this group as 'terrorist' and affiliated with foreign countries.