Several Military and Law Enforcement Officers Killed in Two Attacks in Sistan and Baluchestan

On Tuesday, October 2, several individuals were killed in two attacks by armed assailants in different locations in Sistan and Baluchestan province, including a regional commander of the IRGC and the head of the city council of Bent in Nikshahr county. According to domestic news agencies, in the Bent area of Nikshahr county, following a ceremony called 'Compassion Festival' at the Mohsenin School in Shekhan Bent, an attack by unknown armed individuals on police vehicles in this location resulted in the deaths of four people and injuries to two others. The Tasnim news agency reported the names of the deceased as Parviz Kadhkhodai, commander of the IRGC in Bent, Youssef Shirani, head of the Bent city council, and two conscript soldiers, Javad Sadati and Mojib Baluchi. All four victims were Sunni residents of the area. Subsequently, the ISNA news agency reported that 'minutes' after the Bent attack, gunfire from armed assailants targeting police vehicles in the Khash county of Sistan and Baluchestan resulted in the deaths of two officers. In recent days, reports have emerged of armed attacks on military and law enforcement personnel of the Islamic Republic and police stations in various parts of Sistan and Baluchestan. For instance, the news site Halosh, which covers news from Sistan and Baluchestan, reported that on Sunday, October 1, armed individuals attacked the police station in Shahdadraz, a part of Iranshahr. ISNA quoted Colonel Mehdi Rashnoudi, the police chief of Iranshahr, confirming this incident and reporting the injury of one officer and one of the attackers. Gunfire from officers at a vehicle in Rask county 'resulted in the death of a child.' The Halosh news site also reported two other attacks attributed to the Jaish al-Adl group against Islamic Republic law enforcement personnel on the same day. Members of Jaish al-Adl attacked the police station in the Domag area of Zahedan county on Sunday morning. This armed group opposing the Islamic Republic claimed that in this attack, several law enforcement personnel at the station were killed or injured. In another incident that occurred on Sunday evening, Jaish al-Adl forces targeted two vehicles of the Mersad forces in the Pashamg area of Rask. The official news agency of the Islamic Republic confirmed this incident, reporting the death of one conscript soldier and injuries to three others, including one soldier and two personnel. On the same day, at least two other members of the military and law enforcement of the Islamic Republic were also killed by members of armed groups attributed to Jaish al-Adl. According to reports, in Khash, one member of the city's commando unit was attacked by armed individuals and killed. The police command of Sistan and Baluchestan identified the deceased as Corporal Ramin Velayati. In another development, during a clash between border guards at the Makki Hirmand post and armed individuals, a border guard named Amir Mohammad Amiri was killed. According to Halosh, Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for all the attacks on Sunday in Sistan and Baluchestan. This group has repeatedly clashed with IRGC forces and Iranian border guards in Sistan and Baluchestan, taking several of them hostage or killing them. 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. On the other hand, Halosh reported an incident of gunfire on Imam Khomeini Street in Zahedan, resulting in one death. According to this report, a 68-year-old Baloch religious activist named Jalal Mohammadi was shot multiple times in his vehicle and killed. Two other passengers in the vehicle were also injured. No reports have yet been published regarding the identity and motives of the assailants. Two years ago, coinciding with the beginning of nationwide protests in Iran known as 'Women, Life, Freedom,' news of the assault of a law enforcement officer in Sistan and Baluchestan on a Baloch girl sparked widespread protests in the province. As protests escalated, on Friday, October 1, 2022, worshippers at the Makki Mosque in Zahedan were targeted by gunfire from a police station, resulting in many deaths and injuries. Baloch activists estimate the number of victims in this incident to be at least one hundred, while the provincial security council reported the death toll as 35. While local people and Baloch activists held the IRGC and Islamic Republic law enforcement responsible for the shooting at worshippers, the IRGC attributed the incident to Jaish al-Adl, a claim that was denied by the group. Three weeks after this incident, known as 'Bloody Friday in Zahedan,' Molavi Abdulhamid Ismailzahi, a Sunni cleric and the Imam of the Makki Grand Mosque in Zahedan, held Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, responsible for this massacre. The recent attacks have coincided with the second anniversary of this deadly incident.