Pakistan carried out strikes on Iranian territory on Thursday, targeting separatist militants, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry. The attack came two days after Tehran claimed it had targeted Israeli-linked militant bases across Pakistani territory.
Strikes by Pakistan are the most notorious cross-border attack in recent years, which prompted Tehran to demand an explanation. Iranian media reported that several missiles struck a village in Sistan-Baluchistan province bordering Pakistan, resulting in the deaths of three women and four children.
The Pakistani ministry described the attack as “a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts.”
“A number of terrorists were killed during the intelligence-based operation. Pakistan fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The sole objective of today’s act was in pursuit of Pakistan’s own security and national interest, which is paramount and cannot be compromised.”
Iran claimed on Tuesday that it had struck Israeli-linked militant bases in Pakistan. On Wednesday, Islamabad recalled its ambassador from Iran to protest what it called a “blatant breach” of its sovereignty.
Asfandyr Mir, a senior expert on South Asian security at the US Institute of Peace, stated:
“Iran’s motivation for attacking Pakistan remains opaque but in light of broader Iranian behaviour in the region it can escalate. What will cause anxiety in Tehran is that Pakistan has crossed a line by hitting inside Iranian territory, a threshold that even the US and Israel have been careful to not breach.”
The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), which Islamabad has targeted inside Iran, is waging an armed insurgency against the Pakistani state.
The Jaish al Adl (JAA), targeted by Iran, is also an ethnic militant group, but with Sunni Islamist beliefs. The group has carried out attacks in Iran against the Revolutionary Guard Corps. Formerly called Jundallah, the group swore allegiance to the Islamic State, a jihadist group based in Iraq and Syria.
