Eurasia Press & News
TEHRAN (Fars News Agency) – Iranian security forces killed 5 terrorists and arrested 15 more in clashes in a southeastern region on Thursday, saying they had planned to detonate bombs in the country.
Clashes took place in the border province of Sistan and Baluchestan, notorious for frequent clashes between security forces and drug smugglers.
Lieutenant commander of the Law Enforcement Police’s Rasoul Akram Operational Base in southeastern Iran said the terrorists were members of Jondollah terrorist group which is responsible for many assassinations and kidnapping cases in southeastern Iran.
Ali Eshaghi also said that the group intended to embark on a series of operations within the next two days, including assassination of provincial officials and explosion of a Sunni females religious school in a bid to spark religious strife in the region.
“This morning, police forces clashed with armed bandits and terrorists who had intended to blow off bombs to create … revolts near (the eastern city of) Iranshahr,” another police official identified only as Mojaradi told state television.
Mojaradi said the leader of the rebels was among those killed during the clashes with police.
Police had also seized “a considerable number of explosives, bombs and weapons,” television reported.
Iran’s border regions with Afghanistan and Pakistan are a major smuggling route for drugs and other contraband. More than 3,300 Iranian security personnel have died in the region fighting drug traffickers since Iran’s 1979 revolution.
