Shooting by Officials at a Vehicle in Rask County Leads to the Death of a Child

Websites Halosh and the Baloch Activists Campaign, which cover news from Sistan and Baluchestan, as well as the human rights website Hengaw, have reported the death of a 12-year-old child in Rask County due to gunfire from officials directed at a vehicle. According to these sources, the shooting occurred on Saturday evening, September 15, and the identity of the deceased child has been reported as 'Ehsan Askani, 12 years old, from the village of Jakigor in Rask County.' Hengaw identified the shooters as 'law enforcement forces,' while Halosh referred to them as 'military forces from the special operations unit.' According to these reports, after a chase of the vehicle suspected of carrying goods known as 'Shooti and Tanakora,' the officials fired directly at it, resulting in one of the bullets hitting the child and killing him, while the driver was also injured by gunfire. Following the shooting, the vehicle overturned, severely injuring a second child, Soleiman, the cousin of the deceased child. Official and local authorities in Sistan and Baluchestan have not yet commented on this incident. On the evening of July 23, following gunfire from officials at a vehicle in Noor County, Mazandaran Province, one of the passengers, named Arzoo Badri, was injured by a bullet to her back and is reported to have lost the ability to move. Reports indicate 'deteriorating condition' for Arzoo Badri; Fars news agency states that three bullets were fired at her vehicle. The Lahijan police have denied reports regarding the pursuit of this vehicle in connection with mandatory hijab enforcement. Previously, the human rights website HRANA reported that in the year 1402 (2023), a total of 540 individuals, including Kolbars, fuel carriers, and other citizens, were targeted by military and law enforcement gunfire, resulting in 129 fatalities.