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       TEHRAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards killed four more militants during an operation in the country’s southeastern region, state media said on Friday.

       The deaths were part of an “ongoing operation” in Sistan-Baluchistan province, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson Ahmad Shafaei said, adding that a soldier was also killed.

       Iranian forces launched a crackdown after militants from the Jaish Al-Adl group killed 10 police officers on Oct 26 — one of the deadliest raids in the region in recent months.

       Sistan-Baluchistan is one of Iran’s most impoverished provinces and one of the few mainly Sunni provinces in the country.

       It has for years faced unrest involving drug-smuggling gangs and rebels from the Baluch minority.

       “The operation in Sistan-Baluchistan will continue until the terrorists and criminals are eliminated,” Shafaei said on Friday.

       On Tuesday, the Guards said eight members of Jaish Al-Adl had been killed during security operations there.

       Local media reported that the mastermind of the Oct 26 attack had already been killed.

       Formed in 2012 by Baluch separatists, Jaish Al-Adl is designated as a terrorist organisation by both Iran and the United States.

       Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2024