NOS News • Today, 12:05 Tensions between Iran and Pakistan: an overview of what we know now
Pakistan carried out air strikes on neighboring Iran last night, killing several people . An overview of what we know now.
What happened? The Pakistani army carried out airstrikes last night on targets of two militant organizations in neighboring Iran. According to Iranian media, several rockets hit a village in Sistan and Balochistan province, which borders Pakistan. Nine people have been killed, Iranian authorities report. Pakistan says drones and missiles, among other things, were used in the attack.
Why these attacks? The two countries accuse each other of harboring militant movements. According to the Pakistani military, the attacks targeted terrorist hideouts on Iranian territory. The action cannot be seen separately from the attacks that Iran carried out on Pakistani territory on Tuesday. Then the Iranian regime said it had carried out attacks on a militia in Pakistan.
This morning, Pakistan said in a statement that it has informed Iran several times about the presence of terrorists. “Pakistan has provided concrete evidence of the presence and activities of these terrorists,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said. The Pakistanis say that Iran, however, has done nothing about it. By the way, similar accusations are also being heard from Iran.
“The government and the military were under enormous pressure,” Abdullah Khan, an analyst at the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, told the AP. "The Iranian attacks were celebrated in the media and the image among Pakistanis of a strong army is no longer what it was. There had to be a response."
The attack was named 'Marg bar Sarmachar' by Pakistan. 'Marg bar' means 'death to' in Farsi and 'sarmachar' means 'guerrilla' in Baloch.
Has this conflict been going on for some time? Insurgents have been active in the border region between Pakistan and Iran for more than twenty years. However, these are different groups. Iran carried out attacks on Tuesday on two bases of the Sunni separatist group Jaish al-Adl, a group that emerged from the former radical Islamist group Jundallah.
And on the other side there is the Balochistan Liberation Army and the Balochistan Liberation Front, which is where the Pakistani attacks have been focused today. That group would operate from Iran.
NOS The group has no religious background, but fights for the secession of the Balochistan region. The liberation army is seen as a terrorist organization by Pakistan, the US and the EU, among others.
“Pakistan will pay a price for this,” the group warned today. “We will not be silent.”
What kind of area is the border region? Iran and Pakistan share a border of about 900 kilometers. It is a largely lawless and deprived area. Smugglers and militants can cross the border without major problems. It is also an area that plays a major role in the global opium trade from Afghanistan.
What are the reactions? The Pakistanis said in a statement that it "fully endorses" Iran's territorial integrity and sovereignty and that the sole purpose of this attack was to safeguard Pakistan's national security and interests.
Angry sounds are heard from the Iranian capital Tehran. Pakistan's attack is condemned by the Iranians and Iran also demands immediate clarification from Pakistan. China, which has good ties with Iran and Pakistan, has asked both countries to maintain calm. Turkey spoke with Iran and Pakistan this morning, saying the parties are not looking for escalation in an area already characterized by unrest.
The Pakistani army says it is on "very high alert" and warns that any new action from the Iranian side will be met. Both countries are also struggling with their own internal problems: Iran was recently hit by an attack that resulted in about a hundred deaths. There are elections next month in Pakistan and there are also economic problems.
At the same time, there is no shortage of tension: Iran is starting a major planned military exercise today.
