Pakistan Launches Airstrike on Terrorist Centers in Iranian Region

Pakistan on Thursday morning carried out retaliatory military strikes in Iranian Siestan-o-Baluchistan, killing a “number of terrorists”.

The attack comes two days after Iran carried out missile and drone strikes targeting terrorists inside Pakistan’s territory. Several explosions were heard in Iran’s Saravan city, AFP reported.

“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. A number of terrorists were killed during the Intelligence-based operation – codenamed Marg Bar Sarmachar,” Pakistan said in a statement.

India has called the tensions a matter between Iran and Pakistan. “This is a matter between Iran and Pakistan. Insofar as India is concerned, we have an uncompromising position of zero tolerance towards terrorism. We understand actions that countries take in self-defence,” New Delhi said in a statement.

Pakistan’s foreign minister Jalil Abbas Jilani has told Iran that the missiles and drones attack on Tuesday, targeting two bases of the Balochi militant group Jaish al Adl in Pakistan’s border town of Panjgur in Balochistan province, was a serious breach of the country’s sovereignty.

“Expressing Pakistan’s unreserved condemnation of the attack, the foreign minister added that the incident has caused serious damage to bilateral ties between Pakistan and Iran,” the statement said. He also said that Pakistan had the right to respond to the provocation.

The United States has condemned Iran’s strikes in Iraq, Syria and Pakistan. US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said: “We do condemn those strikes. We’ve seen Iran violate the sovereign borders of three of its neighbors in just the past couple days. And I will say that the difference in the context very much matters. I think it is a little rich for at one – on one hand, Iran to be the leading funder of terrorism in the region, the leading funder of instability in the region; and on the other hand, claim that it needs to take this action – these actions to counter terrorism.”

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