Following Iran's missile attack on an Israeli intelligence base in Iraq and against jihadist groups in Syria, Iran on Tuesday carried out missile and drone strikes against Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni militant group operating in Pakistan. This new operation by the Shiite Ayatollah regime is increasing tensions in the Middle East. According to Islamabad, Tehran's projectile firing left several people dead, including two children
Pakistan has already responded to the attack staged by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, calling it a “groundless violation” of its airspace. The missiles raise tensions in delicate diplomatic relations between Iran and Pakistan, one of the few countries with nuclear weapons.
Observers believe that this Iranian offensive is a response to violent incidents in the region, particularly the attack on Iranian soil two weeks ago that killed nearly a hundred people in the city of Keman during a tribute to General Soleimani of the Islamic State .
It should be recalled that Iran and Pakistan share a 959-kilometer-long border in the restive Sistan-Baluchestan province, where Iran's Sunni minority lives and suffers discrimination and oppression from the Iranian regime, with the majority being Shia. Iran has in the past accused Islamabad of harboring and supporting terrorist groups that carry out cross-border attacks and has in the past threatened incursions within Pakistan. As The Times of India recalls, both countries have tried to maintain some cooperation and dialogue on issues such as trade, energy and security despite their border and religious disputes.
What did Iran achieve with this attack?
Two key strongholds of the terrorist group Jaysh al-Dhulm (Jaish al-Adl) in Pakistan were “successfully” destroyed, according to a statement by Iran's Tasnim news agency. This group is known as the “Justice Army” and is a Sunni militant faction that was founded in 2012 and has a growing presence in Pakistan. While Iran had previously fought against it with attacks in border areas, this attack with missiles and drones on Pakistani soil marks a turning point and a new approach in its strategy against Sunni jihadist forces.
Last month, there was an attack on an Iranian police station in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, in which at least 11 Iranian police officers were killed. Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi attributed this attack to the Pakistani group Jaish al-Adl.
Pakistan's foreign ministry has called on Iran's charge d'affaires to make a “strong protest” for now, saying such unilateral actions are not in line with good neighborly relations and could seriously undermine bilateral trust. “It is even more worrying that this illegal act took place despite the existence of multiple communication channels between Pakistan and Iran,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said. “Pakistan has always said that terrorism is a common threat to all countries in the region that requires coordinated action. Such unilateral actions are not in line with good neighborly relations and may seriously undermine bilateral trust.”