Five Iranian Police Killed in Sistan-Baluchistan Ambush

At least five Iranian police officers were killed on Friday in an ambush near the town of Iranshahr in the restive Sistan-Baluchistan province, Iranian media reported.

The unidentified assailants targeted two patrol units, leaving a police pickup riddled with bullets and officers’ bodies lying on the ground, according to Fars news agency.

“In this terrorist act, five servants of security and peace were martyred,” police said in a statement.

Authorities launched an operation to track down the attackers. Hours later, the Sunni jihadist group Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) claimed responsibility via its Telegram channel.

Restive Province

Sistan-Baluchistan, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long been a hotspot of violence involving drug traffickers, separatists and militant groups. The province is home to a large Sunni Baluch minority and remains one of Iran’s poorest regions.

Pattern of Attacks

Iran frequently reports deadly ambushes in the province, often targeting police and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Last week, authorities said security forces killed seven members of another armed group, Ansar al-Furqan, while foiling an attempted attack.

A day earlier, Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for killing a police officer in the same region.

In April, eight Pakistanis were killed in Mehrestan County of Sistan-Baluchistan. Both Iran’s southeast and Pakistan’s neighboring Balochistan province are resource-rich yet underdeveloped, with militant groups operating across the border region.