Srinagar: Iranian state media said on Tuesday that missiles and drones targeted and destroyed two bases of the Baluchi militant group Jaish al Adl in Pakistan. This action followed the missile strikes launched by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on targets in Iraq and Syria the previous day.
Jaish al Adl, a Sunni Muslim separatist group, operates predominantly in the border region between Iran and Pakistan, particularly in areas with a substantial Sunni Baluchi population. The group has previously claimed responsibility for multiple attacks against Iranian security forces.
The Iranian state media did not provide specific details regarding the attack on the Baluchi militant bases. This offensive aligns with Iran’s ongoing efforts to counter what it perceives as “militant groups” posing threats to its security and stability
It all started on the morning of January 16, 2024, when Iran initiated a series of ballistic missile attacks targeting bases in Syria, Iraq, and Pakistan. The motivation behind these strikes lay in responding to recent terrorist activities, with a specific focus on dismantling key strongholds of anti-Iranian elements. The IRGC aimed at crucial locations, including an Israeli “spy headquarters” in Erbil, northern Iraq, and a gathering of terrorist groups in Arbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
The consequences of the attack on Erbil were grave, resulting in at least four civilian fatalities and six injuries. The United States government condemned the missile strike, expressing strong disapproval and stating that it “strongly condemns Iran’s reckless missile strikes, which undermine Iraq’s stability.”
In response to the escalating situation, Iraq took diplomatic action by recalling its ambassador from Tehran for consultations and summoning Iran’s chargé d’affaires over the strikes in Erbil.
Simultaneously, in Syria, the IRGC claimed to have targeted a Mossad centre, the Israeli intelligence agency, and a base of the Islamic State group. Despite these significant developments, the US government maintained a measured response, with no immediate reaction to the IRGC’s Monday attacks.
Expanding the scope of its operations, Iran also launched missile and drone attacks in Pakistan, specifically targeting the headquarters of a militant group opposed to Tehran. The events of January 16 marked a critical juncture, setting off a chain of geopolitical ramifications and heightening tensions in the region.
Pakistan strongly condemned the unprovoked violation of its airspace by Iran, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying that the strike inside Pakistani territory killed two children and injured three girls.
“This violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty is completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences,” the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday night. The statement didn’t mention the location of the attacks.
Any attack inside of nuclear-armed Pakistan by Iran would threaten the relations between the two countries, which long have eyed each other with suspicion while maintaining diplomatic relations.
