ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian forces deployed around 40 additional vehicles to Taftan county in southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province on Tuesday, a Baluch rights monitor reported, as clashes between Iranian security forces and militants continue.
According to Haalvsh, a human rights organization monitoring developments in the Baloch region, citing local sources, around 18 motorcycles and four military vehicles were present when the fighting began between the IRGC and the armed men early Tuesday. As the clashes intensified, approximately 40 additional military vehicles carrying reinforcements were reportedly dispatched to the area on Tuesday.
The number of casualties and the extent of any damage from recent clashes remain unknown. The reported deployment of reinforcements and other details have not been independently verified.
The latest confrontation comes amid a wave of attacks against Iranian security forces in the southeastern province, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan.
More than a dozen Iranian military and police personnel were killed or wounded in four attacks over a 24-hour period last week, according to Haalvsh.
In a separate incident, Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that clashes began on Tuesday between security forces and members of militant groups in the Korin area of Zahedan, also in Sistan and Baluchestan province. The agency said initial reports indicated that several militants had been killed during the operation. The reported casualties could not be independently verified, and it was unclear whether the incident was connected to the clashes in Taftan.
The identities of the armed men and the circumstances that triggered the fighting remain unclear. Iranian state media had not reported the incident at the time of writing.
Sistan and Baluchestan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, is one of Iran’s poorest provinces and has long faced economic marginalization and grievances over discrimination against its predominantly Sunni Baloch population.
The region has experienced repeated clashes between Iranian security forces and Baloch armed groups, including Jaish al-Adl, which has claimed responsibility for attacks against Iranian security personnel.
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