Iran’s intelligence forces killed six militants and arrested two in restive Sistan and Baluchestan province after deadly attacks by Jaish ul-Adl Sunni militants left several police forces dead, local authorities announced on Saturday.
A statement by the provincial intelligence department said two intelligence officers and one police force were also injured in the operation.
The department said the militants had crossed the country’s eastern border in recent days.
The group was described as being “equipped with various weapons, ammunition and explosive devices."
The operation came one day after Jaish ul-Adl gunmen attacked two police patrol units near Iranshahr in the southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province, killing five officers.
Police said the attackers opened fire on vehicles stationed on the Khash-Iranshahr road.
The attack was the latest in a surge of violence in the province, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan and has long been a hotspot for militant activity and drug trafficking.
On August 15, an Iranian police officer was killed and another wounded when Jaish ul-Adl gunmen opened fire on their military vehicle in Iranshahr, local police said.
On August 10, Iranian police said three militants and one officer were killed in a clash in Saravan.
In late July nine people died in an assault on a courthouse in the provincial capital Zahedan, which the group also claimed.
Jaish ul-Adl has been designated a terrorist organization by both Iran and the United States.
