Pakistan confirmed Tuesday that an Iranian cross-border attack had killed two "innocent children" in its southwestern Baluchistan province and warned Iran of "serious consequences."

The statement came just hours after Iran said it struck strongholds of a Sunni armed group, Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice), allegedly sheltering on the Pakistani side of the nearly 900-kilometer border between the two countries.

The paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly carried out the "missile and drone strikes" in Baluchistan.

Late on Tuesday, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry denounced "the unprovoked violation of its airspace by Iran" and said the attack also injured three girls. It stated that Islamabad formally protested the "completely unacceptable" act with Tehran.

The ministry said in its statement that it summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires "to convoy our strongest condemnation of this blatant violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and that the responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran."

Such unilateral acts "can seriously undermine bilateral trust and confidence," it cautioned.

"It is even more concerning that this illegal act has taken place despite the existence of several channels of communication between Pakistan and Iran," said the ministry.

Jaish al-Adl, listed as a terrorist group by Iran and the United States, claims it is seeking greater rights for the Iranian Sistan and Baluchistan province, home to the country's Sunni Baluchi minority.

The cross-border attack in nuclear-armed Pakistan follows IRGC strikes on Iraq and Syria on Monday night. The organization defended the action, saying the Syria strikes were a response to the twin suicide bombing this month in the Iranian city of Kerman that killed nearly 100 people.

The Sunni-based Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Last month, Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for an attack in Iran's Rask region, killing at least 11 Iranian police officers.

While Tehran regularly accuses Islamabad of not doing enough to prevent Jaish al-Adl from launching cross-border attacks against Iran, Pakistani officials allege fugitive insurgents use bases on Iranian soil to plot deadly raids on security forces in natural resources-rich Baluchistan.

Source: Voice of America

BDST: 1018 HRS, JAN 17, 2024
MN