TEHRAN – Two members of Iran’s volunteer security forces were killed in an armed attack in the southeastern Iranian provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) ground forces’ Quds base said in a statement on Saturday.
The victims were identified as Esmail Shaverji and Mokhtar Shahhouzehi, local Sunni members of the Basij Volunteer Forces, the statement said. They were attacked while accompanying security forces as they moved along the main road between the city of Kas and the provincial capital Zahedan. Both were seriously injured and later died from their wounds.
Revolutionary Guards members martyred in Sistan and Baluchestan
Separately, in Iranshahr district of the province, Mohammad Siakhani, a member of the Revolutionary Guards, was martyred by unknown armed assailants on the Banpur-Derghan road. On Friday night, Siakhani’s car was shot at by inside operatives affiliated with a rival terrorist organization. The cause and details of the incident are currently under investigation by police and security forces.
The province, which borders Pakistan, has been the scene of terrorist attacks targeting civilians and security personnel alike for years. Iranian officials have consistently blamed these attacks on foreign-backed terrorist networks, primarily backed by Israel.
Officials stress that persistent security threats in the region require a strong and coordinated military and police presence, including rapid counter-terrorism operations.
In a recent example, in late August, security forces neutralized at least eight terrorists involved in a deadly ambush in the Daman district of Iranshahr district earlier that month, in which five police officers were killed. Jaish al-Adl, a terrorist organization known for its cross-border operations from mainland Pakistan, later claimed responsibility for the assault.
Earlier in October, the Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force condemned the killings of Baluch Sunni tribal elders in Sistan and Baluchestan provinces, blaming the attacks on an alleged Israeli-linked terrorist group.
“Mercenary forces affiliated with the Zionist regime have once again exposed their anti-Islamic nature through their recent crimes of killing several Sunni elders and sheikhs,” the Quds Force said, warning that those responsible would face decisive punishment. The statement stressed that such acts do not weaken the unity of Muslims in the state.
The Iranian government has repeatedly accused Israel of funding and arming terrorist and separatist groups in Iran’s border regions, particularly in Sistan and Baluchestan provinces, where dozens of civilians and security forces have been killed in recent years. Similar attacks have also occurred in Pakistan’s border areas.
After the Iran-Israel war in June, Iranian officials said the Zionist regime was stepping up destabilization efforts in the southeast with the aim of stirring up unrest and causing social disorder in the region.