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Iran Pakistan in war
Iran targets terrorists in Pakistan
Pakistan and Iran are now at a practical war against each other after Iran attacked terrorists in Pakistan followed by retaliation by Pakistan. Iran has admitted carrying out a missile and drone attack on western Pakistan on Tuesday. Officials in Islamabad said two children were killed and three others injured in the attack in Balochistan. Iran's foreign minister said the operation targeted the militant group Jaish al-Adl, which he described as an "Iranian terrorist group" in Pakistan. As a result the Pakistan's government recalled its ambassador to Iran and has blocked Tehran's envoy from returning. The Balochistan attack comes after Iran attacked targets in Iraq and Syria earlier this week. Islamabad said the attack was "illegal" and warned of "serious consequences".
However Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, speaking in Davos, insisted that no Pakistani citizens had been targeted, only members of Jaish al-Adl. "We only targeted Iranian terrorists on the soil of Pakistan," Mr Amir-Abdollahian said. He added he had spoken to his Pakistani counterpart and "assured him that we do respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan and Iraq".
The latest air strike comes at a time of growing tension across the Middle East, with war raging between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza. Tehran says it does not want to get involved in a wider conflict. But groups in its so-called "Axis of Resistance", which include the Houthi militants in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and various groups in Syria and Iraq, have been carrying out attacks on Israel and its allies to show solidarity with the Palestinians. The US and UK have launched air strikes on the Houthis after they attacked commercial shipping.
China on Wednesday urged Pakistan and Iran to show "restraint" and "avoid actions that would lead to an escalation of tension". Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning added that Beijing saw the countries as "close neighbours".
Perhaps stung by recent deadly attacks on home soil, Iran seems intent on exacting revenge on those it sees as responsible.
At a time of heightened regional tensions, Iran is keen to portray strength and demonstrate to its own population that acts of violence will not go unpunished.
Tuesday's strike in Pakistan hit a village in the vast south-western border province of Balochistan. Tehran said it was targeting Jaish al-Adl, or "army of justice", an ethnic Baloch Sunni Muslim group that has carried out attacks inside Iran as well as on Pakistani government forces.
Last December Jaish al-Adl attacked a police station in Rask, a town close to the border with Pakistan.
Two weeks ago Iran suffered its worst domestic attack since the Islamic Revolution, when two bombs killed 84 people at a ceremony in Kerman to commemorate the US assassination of Iran's notorious Revolutionary Guard general, Qasem Soleimani.
On Monday, Iran fired ballistic missiles at Syria and Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. Iran said it was targeting Islamic State and Israel's Mossad spy agency, both of whom it said had been involved in the Kerman bombings.
The strike on Iraq hit a building in the northern city of Irbil. Four civilians were killed and six hurt in the attack, local authorities said. The US condemned the attack.
Iran then struck Syria's north-western Idlib province, which is the last remaining opposition stronghold in the country and home to 2.9 million displaced people.
But hitting its nuclear-armed eastern neighbour Pakistan is a dramatic escalation. Pakistan expressed outrage, saying the attack took place "despite the existence of several channels of communication" between the countries.
On Wednesday Islamabad said it had recalled its ambassador to Iran and the Iranian ambassador would not be allowed back into the country for the time being.
Pakistan and Iran have a delicate but cordial relationship. This attack took place on the same day as Pakistan's prime minister and Iran's foreign minister met in Davos and while the Iranian and Pakistan navies held military drills together in the Gulf.
Yet both have accused one another of harbouring militant groups that carry out attacks on the other in their border areas for years.
Security on either side of their shared border, which runs for about 900km (559 miles), has been a long-running concern for both governments.
The Iranian strike is believed to have hit Sabz Koh village about 45km from the Iranian border and 90km from the nearest town Panjgur. Local officials described it as a sp{censored}ly populated area home to livestock-owning Baloch tribes where smuggling of goods, drugs and weapons is rife.
"People on both sides of the border consider themselves to be deprived of basic necessities, face discrimination and demand a larger share from their own resources," security commentator Zaigham Khan told the BBC.
In Iran, the Sunni Muslim Baloch minority complains of discrimination in the Shia Muslim-majority state, while Baloch separatist groups are continuing an insurgent movement against the Pakistani government.
Jaish al-Adl is the "most active and influential" Sunni militant group operating in Sistan-Baluchestan, according to the office of the US Director of National Intelligence. It is designated as a terrorist group by Washington and Tehran.
Another security commentator in Pakistan, Aamir Rana, told the BBC he thought the diplomatic crisis "would take a while to calm down but this is also something that Pakistan would not like to escalate".
He said in the past Pakistan had not reacted to Iran's actions along the border - "but now the ball is in Iran's court, whether it wants to get its act right".
Retaliation by Pakistan
Pakistan on Thursday used killer drones and rockets to carry out "precision military strikes" against what it called "terrorist hideouts" in Iran's Siestan-Balochistan province, killing 9 people, a day after Islamabad downgraded diplomatic ties with Tehran following Iranian attacks on terror bases in Balochistan.
Image used only for representation. Photograph: Akhtar Soomro/Reuters
"This morning Pakistan undertook a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts in Siestan-o-Baluchistan province of Iran," Pakistan's Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday.
It said a number of terrorists were killed during the intelligence-based operation - codenamed "Marg Bar Sarmachar" (Death to Sarmachar).
In Persian, marg bar means "death to" while Sarmachar means guerrilla in the Baloch language.
The precision strikes were carried out using killer drones, rockets, loitering munitions and stand-off weapons, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations, the Pakistan military's media wing.
It said that "hideouts used by terrorist organisations namely Balochistan Liberation Army and Balochistan Liberation Front were successfully struck."
The two groups have carried out several deadly attacks in Pakistan in the past.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan'ani condemned the attack and said that the Pakistani chargé d'affaires was summoned by the ministry to convey Tehran's protest to Islamabad and provide an explanation about the attack, Iran's state-run Press TV reported.
Quoting Deputy governor of the province Alireza Marhamati, official news agency 'IRNA' said that nine non-Iranian nationals - two men, three women and four children - were killed in the attack, which is being investigated by the Iranian security officials. There was also an explosion near Saravan city, 347 km southeast of the provincial capital Zahedan, where there were no casualties, he added.
The strikes came two days after Iran launched unprecedented missile and drone attacks on what it said were directed at the bases of the Sunni Baloch militant group 'Jaish al-Adl' in the restive Balochistan province, prompting Pakistan to recall its ambassador to Iran and suspended all planned high-level bilateral visits.
Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch Wednesday said the Iranian envoy to Pakistan who is currently visiting Iran may not return to Islamabad for the time being.
The {censored}-for-tat attacks within two days have raised tensions in the volatile region, already roiled by Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the targeting of the merchant ships in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthis.
In its statement on Thursday, the foreign office said Islamabad has consistently shared its serious concerns with Tehran about the safe havens and sanctuaries enjoyed by Pakistani origin terrorists calling themselves Sarmachars inside Iran.
"However, because of lack of action on our serious concerns, these so-called Sarmachars continued to spill the blood of innocent Pakistanis with impunity. This morning's action was taken in light of credible intelligence of impending large-scale terrorist activities by these so-called Sarmachars," it added.
"This action is a manifestation of Pakistan's unflinching resolve to protect and defend its national security against all threats," it said, adding that Pakistan will continue to take all necessary steps to preserve the safety and security of its people which is "sacrosanct, inviolable and sacred."
The Pakistan Stock Exchange lost more than 1,000 points after Thursday's strikes, boiling up tension between the two neighbours.
According to the PSX website, the KSE-100 index lost around 1038 points at 10:08 am. At 10:31am, the index lost 770.12 points cumulatively to reach 62,797.21, down 1.21 per cent from the previous close of 63,567.33.
Pakistani President Arif Alvi said that the two neighbours were brotherly countries and should resolve issues through dialogue and mutual consultation. He, however, said Pakistan would not compromise on its national security and territorial integrity and would take “all necessary measures to defend its soil”.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul-Haq-Kakar, who is in Davos to attend the World Economic Forum, cut his trip short to return home. Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani is also returning back from a trip to Uganda. On Wednesday, Jilani had told his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian in a telephonic conversation that the attack by Iran seriously damaged the ties between the two nations and Pakistan reserved the right to respond to this "provocative act".
Sources in Pakistan said that shortly before 0600 hours (local time) today, the Joint Staff Headquarters of the Pakistan Armed Forces ordered lethal counterinsurgency-specific precision airstrikes inside Iran, pre-authorised by the Government of Pakistan, to preemptively target and eliminate imminent terrorist threats to Pakistan.
"These strikes were conducted successfully using Pakistan Air Force fighter jets using stand-off extended range munitions, while they remained inside Pakistani airspace,” a source said.
The target locations, seven in total, were tagged for a strike after the presence of multiple high-value terrorist targets was confirmed following extensive aerial reconnaissance via unmanned aircraft.
The Pakistan Air Force's aircraft today after the break of dawn, engaged seven targets inside Iran with precision-guided air-to-ground munitions, where the Balochistan-centric terrorist organisation Balochistan Liberation Force was based. These targets were over 80 km inside Iranian territory, sources said. No Iranian civilians or military personnel were targeted, they added.
Is Iran Pakistan {censored} for tat going to escalate? Is it going to be expanded to link with Hamas Israel war? How far they will go further needs to be closely watched. Neighbors China, India and Russia are watching from close and USA from a distance.
Iran targets terrorists in Pakistan
Pakistan and Iran are now at a practical war against each other after Iran attacked terrorists in Pakistan followed by retaliation by Pakistan. Iran has admitted carrying out a missile and drone attack on western Pakistan on Tuesday. Officials in Islamabad said two children were killed and three others injured in the attack in Balochistan. Iran's foreign minister said the operation targeted the militant group Jaish al-Adl, which he described as an "Iranian terrorist group" in Pakistan. As a result the Pakistan's government recalled its ambassador to Iran and has blocked Tehran's envoy from returning. The Balochistan attack comes after Iran attacked targets in Iraq and Syria earlier this week. Islamabad said the attack was "illegal" and warned of "serious consequences".
However Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, speaking in Davos, insisted that no Pakistani citizens had been targeted, only members of Jaish al-Adl. "We only targeted Iranian terrorists on the soil of Pakistan," Mr Amir-Abdollahian said. He added he had spoken to his Pakistani counterpart and "assured him that we do respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan and Iraq".
The latest air strike comes at a time of growing tension across the Middle East, with war raging between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza. Tehran says it does not want to get involved in a wider conflict. But groups in its so-called "Axis of Resistance", which include the Houthi militants in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and various groups in Syria and Iraq, have been carrying out attacks on Israel and its allies to show solidarity with the Palestinians. The US and UK have launched air strikes on the Houthis after they attacked commercial shipping.
China on Wednesday urged Pakistan and Iran to show "restraint" and "avoid actions that would lead to an escalation of tension". Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning added that Beijing saw the countries as "close neighbours".
Perhaps stung by recent deadly attacks on home soil, Iran seems intent on exacting revenge on those it sees as responsible.
At a time of heightened regional tensions, Iran is keen to portray strength and demonstrate to its own population that acts of violence will not go unpunished.
Tuesday's strike in Pakistan hit a village in the vast south-western border province of Balochistan. Tehran said it was targeting Jaish al-Adl, or "army of justice", an ethnic Baloch Sunni Muslim group that has carried out attacks inside Iran as well as on Pakistani government forces.
Last December Jaish al-Adl attacked a police station in Rask, a town close to the border with Pakistan.
Two weeks ago Iran suffered its worst domestic attack since the Islamic Revolution, when two bombs killed 84 people at a ceremony in Kerman to commemorate the US assassination of Iran's notorious Revolutionary Guard general, Qasem Soleimani.
On Monday, Iran fired ballistic missiles at Syria and Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. Iran said it was targeting Islamic State and Israel's Mossad spy agency, both of whom it said had been involved in the Kerman bombings.
The strike on Iraq hit a building in the northern city of Irbil. Four civilians were killed and six hurt in the attack, local authorities said. The US condemned the attack.
Iran then struck Syria's north-western Idlib province, which is the last remaining opposition stronghold in the country and home to 2.9 million displaced people.
But hitting its nuclear-armed eastern neighbour Pakistan is a dramatic escalation. Pakistan expressed outrage, saying the attack took place "despite the existence of several channels of communication" between the countries.
On Wednesday Islamabad said it had recalled its ambassador to Iran and the Iranian ambassador would not be allowed back into the country for the time being.
Pakistan and Iran have a delicate but cordial relationship. This attack took place on the same day as Pakistan's prime minister and Iran's foreign minister met in Davos and while the Iranian and Pakistan navies held military drills together in the Gulf.
Yet both have accused one another of harbouring militant groups that carry out attacks on the other in their border areas for years.
Security on either side of their shared border, which runs for about 900km (559 miles), has been a long-running concern for both governments.
The Iranian strike is believed to have hit Sabz Koh village about 45km from the Iranian border and 90km from the nearest town Panjgur. Local officials described it as a sp{censored}ly populated area home to livestock-owning Baloch tribes where smuggling of goods, drugs and weapons is rife.
"People on both sides of the border consider themselves to be deprived of basic necessities, face discrimination and demand a larger share from their own resources," security commentator Zaigham Khan told the BBC.
In Iran, the Sunni Muslim Baloch minority complains of discrimination in the Shia Muslim-majority state, while Baloch separatist groups are continuing an insurgent movement against the Pakistani government.
Jaish al-Adl is the "most active and influential" Sunni militant group operating in Sistan-Baluchestan, according to the office of the US Director of National Intelligence. It is designated as a terrorist group by Washington and Tehran.
Another security commentator in Pakistan, Aamir Rana, told the BBC he thought the diplomatic crisis "would take a while to calm down but this is also something that Pakistan would not like to escalate".
He said in the past Pakistan had not reacted to Iran's actions along the border - "but now the ball is in Iran's court, whether it wants to get its act right".
Retaliation by Pakistan
Pakistan on Thursday used killer drones and rockets to carry out "precision military strikes" against what it called "terrorist hideouts" in Iran's Siestan-Balochistan province, killing 9 people, a day after Islamabad downgraded diplomatic ties with Tehran following Iranian attacks on terror bases in Balochistan.
Image used only for representation. Photograph: Akhtar Soomro/Reuters
"This morning Pakistan undertook a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts in Siestan-o-Baluchistan province of Iran," Pakistan's Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday.
It said a number of terrorists were killed during the intelligence-based operation - codenamed "Marg Bar Sarmachar" (Death to Sarmachar).
In Persian, marg bar means "death to" while Sarmachar means guerrilla in the Baloch language.
The precision strikes were carried out using killer drones, rockets, loitering munitions and stand-off weapons, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations, the Pakistan military's media wing.
It said that "hideouts used by terrorist organisations namely Balochistan Liberation Army and Balochistan Liberation Front were successfully struck."
The two groups have carried out several deadly attacks in Pakistan in the past.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan'ani condemned the attack and said that the Pakistani chargé d'affaires was summoned by the ministry to convey Tehran's protest to Islamabad and provide an explanation about the attack, Iran's state-run Press TV reported.
Quoting Deputy governor of the province Alireza Marhamati, official news agency 'IRNA' said that nine non-Iranian nationals - two men, three women and four children - were killed in the attack, which is being investigated by the Iranian security officials. There was also an explosion near Saravan city, 347 km southeast of the provincial capital Zahedan, where there were no casualties, he added.
The strikes came two days after Iran launched unprecedented missile and drone attacks on what it said were directed at the bases of the Sunni Baloch militant group 'Jaish al-Adl' in the restive Balochistan province, prompting Pakistan to recall its ambassador to Iran and suspended all planned high-level bilateral visits.
Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch Wednesday said the Iranian envoy to Pakistan who is currently visiting Iran may not return to Islamabad for the time being.
The {censored}-for-tat attacks within two days have raised tensions in the volatile region, already roiled by Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the targeting of the merchant ships in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthis.
In its statement on Thursday, the foreign office said Islamabad has consistently shared its serious concerns with Tehran about the safe havens and sanctuaries enjoyed by Pakistani origin terrorists calling themselves Sarmachars inside Iran.
"However, because of lack of action on our serious concerns, these so-called Sarmachars continued to spill the blood of innocent Pakistanis with impunity. This morning's action was taken in light of credible intelligence of impending large-scale terrorist activities by these so-called Sarmachars," it added.
"This action is a manifestation of Pakistan's unflinching resolve to protect and defend its national security against all threats," it said, adding that Pakistan will continue to take all necessary steps to preserve the safety and security of its people which is "sacrosanct, inviolable and sacred."
The Pakistan Stock Exchange lost more than 1,000 points after Thursday's strikes, boiling up tension between the two neighbours.
According to the PSX website, the KSE-100 index lost around 1038 points at 10:08 am. At 10:31am, the index lost 770.12 points cumulatively to reach 62,797.21, down 1.21 per cent from the previous close of 63,567.33.
Pakistani President Arif Alvi said that the two neighbours were brotherly countries and should resolve issues through dialogue and mutual consultation. He, however, said Pakistan would not compromise on its national security and territorial integrity and would take “all necessary measures to defend its soil”.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul-Haq-Kakar, who is in Davos to attend the World Economic Forum, cut his trip short to return home. Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani is also returning back from a trip to Uganda. On Wednesday, Jilani had told his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian in a telephonic conversation that the attack by Iran seriously damaged the ties between the two nations and Pakistan reserved the right to respond to this "provocative act".
Sources in Pakistan said that shortly before 0600 hours (local time) today, the Joint Staff Headquarters of the Pakistan Armed Forces ordered lethal counterinsurgency-specific precision airstrikes inside Iran, pre-authorised by the Government of Pakistan, to preemptively target and eliminate imminent terrorist threats to Pakistan.
"These strikes were conducted successfully using Pakistan Air Force fighter jets using stand-off extended range munitions, while they remained inside Pakistani airspace,” a source said.
The target locations, seven in total, were tagged for a strike after the presence of multiple high-value terrorist targets was confirmed following extensive aerial reconnaissance via unmanned aircraft.
The Pakistan Air Force's aircraft today after the break of dawn, engaged seven targets inside Iran with precision-guided air-to-ground munitions, where the Balochistan-centric terrorist organisation Balochistan Liberation Force was based. These targets were over 80 km inside Iranian territory, sources said. No Iranian civilians or military personnel were targeted, they added.
Is Iran Pakistan {censored} for tat going to escalate? Is it going to be expanded to link with Hamas Israel war? How far they will go further needs to be closely watched. Neighbors China, India and Russia are watching from close and USA from a distance.
![Maryam Nawaz is seen as the political heir of her father, three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif. [Rahat Dar/EPA]](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F02%2Frahat-dar-MNS-1708941086.jpg%3Fw%3D770%26resize%3D770%252C513%26quality%3D80&hash=d9822d7e9f0a1eb70ca1c02b634a77c1 "Maryam Nawaz is seen as the political heir of her father, three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif. [Rahat Dar/EPA]")
