IRGC Reports Death of Two Members of 'Jaish al-Adl' in Armed Clash in Chabahar

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reports that in an armed clash with 'Jaish al-Adl' forces in Chabahar, two members of this anti-government group were killed and six others were injured. The group 'Jaish al-Adl', recognized as a 'terrorist' organization by both Iran and the United States, claims to fight for the rights of the Baluch minority against the Islamic Republic. This group has repeatedly clashed with IRGC forces and Iranian border guards in the Sistan and Baluchestan province, taking several of them hostage or killing them. Media close to the Islamic Republic reported on Tuesday evening, March 7, citing the Quds Ground Force of the IRGC, that the two killed members of Jaish al-Adl had 'non-Iranian nationality'. Media outlets covering news from southern Sistan and Baluchestan reported on Tuesday afternoon that security forces attacked a residential house in Chabahar 'with light and heavy weapons'. The website 'Halosh' reported that after the military's attack, 'individuals inside the house' also fired at the military forces. The 'Baluch Activists Campaign' stated that this residential house was 'besieged' and that military forces 'fired RPGs' at the house. Following this, the special governor of Chabahar confirmed the news of intense clashes between military and security forces and armed individuals, reporting the arrest and killing of some members of 'Jaish al-Adl'. Meanwhile, Jaish al-Adl confirmed the death of two of its members in this armed clash but denied the arrest of its members by Iranian security forces. In its statement, the organization referred to the so-called 'Makran Coast Development Plan', stating that its forces 'will not allow their land to become a playground for the regime's dreams of the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist'. Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for an explosion at a government building in Chabahar. Mohammad Reza Aref, the First Vice President, mentioned in December of this year that Makran in southern Sistan and Baluchestan was one of the 'serious' options for relocating the capital from Tehran. The clashes between the Islamic Republic's security forces and Jaish al-Adl members occurred three days after the group claimed responsibility for an explosion at a headquarters building of the Housing Foundation in Chabahar. According to Mehdi Shamsabadi, the prosecutor of Zahedan, the cause of this explosion on March 4 was a 'sound bomb' that 'damaged part of the building', but no one was harmed as a result. Armed opposition attacks against the Islamic Republic in Sistan and Baluchestan have a long history, and previously a significant number of both sides have been killed in clashes.