Iran Sunni province awaits crackdown after militant attack

TEHRAN — At least 11 officers were killed and seven others wounded in a predawn attack on a police station in Iran’s south-eastern Sistan-Baluchistan province, state media reported on Friday.

The attack near the town of Rask was quickly claimed by Jaish ul-Adl, a Sunni militant group, which has been fighting a years-long bloody campaign against the ruling Shiite Islamic Republic. 

The police station was swarmed from multiple directions, according to Deputy Interior Minister Majid Mir-Ahmadi. Local officials said the ensuing exchange of fire lasted for hours, with two of the attackers killed while the rest crossed back into neighboring Pakistan, where they are believed to be hiding out. 

Iranian authorities have repeatedly criticized the Pakistani government for “failing” to address the perceived presence of the militants on Pakistani soil and have on multiple occasions even threatened cross-border incursions to root them out. Following the Friday attack, state media aired footage of Iranian military helicopters hovering above the area near the Pakistani border to “identify” and chase the attackers on the loose.