Why Iran attacked Pakistan, Syria and Iraq
17 Jan 2024, 09:30 PM IST
Iranian state media said the “missile and drone” attack destroyed two bases of Baluchi militant group Jaish al-Adl in Pakistan. Why did Iran officials target locations in Pakistan?
A day after striking Iraq and Syria, Iran launched missiles on Pakistan's terroritory late Tuesday. Iranian state media said the "missile and drone" attack destroyed two bases of Baluchi militant group Jaish al-Adl in Pakistan. But why did Iran launched attacks on Pakistan, Iraq and Syria?
Tehran had launched attacks in Iraq and Syria against what it called “anti-Iranian terrorist groups", AFP reported. A day later, it targeted "militant" bases in Pakistan's Balochistan. Notably, Iran has fought in border areas against the militants, but a missile-and-drone attack on Pakistan would be unprecedented for Iran.
Why did Iran attack Pakistan
The attack could be seen a retaliatory move by Iran. However, there has been no official word by Iran authorities on the recent missile attacks in Pakistan.
Jaish al Adl has previously launched attacks on Iranian security forces in the border area with Pakistan.
In December 2023, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi had said at least 11 Iranian police officers were killed in an attack on a police station in Rask, a town close to the border with Pakistan. That attack was claimed by Jaish al-Adl in a brief statement posted on its Telegram channel, AFP reported.
Earlier on July 23 last year, four Iranian policemen were killed while on patrol near the border in an attack claimed by the Jaish Al Adl.
Jaish al-Adl, or the "Army of Justice", is a Sunni militant group founded in 2012 that largely operates in Pakistan. According to the Office of the US Director of National Intelligence, Jaish al-Adl is the "most active and influential" Sunni militant group operating in Sistan-Baluchistan.
According to reports, Tehran and Islamabad have frequently accused each other of allowing militants to operate from the other's territory to launch attacks. However, it is rare that official forces on either side engage.
Meanwhile, Tehran has repeatedly warned that the Jaish al-Adl militant group is using Pakistani soil in the border town of Panjgur in Balochistan to launch terror attacks on Iranian security forces, PTI reported.
Attacks on Syria and Iraq
Iran defended its missile strikes in Iraq and Syria, saying they were a "targeted operation" and "just punishment" against those who breach the Islamic republic's security, AFP reported.
On January 3, suicide bombers struck crowds gathered near the tomb of the revered IRGC general Qasem Soleimani in Kerman. The attack, for which the Islamic State group later claimed responsibility, killed around 90 people and left scores wounded.
"This strike was said to have been in response to the identification and subsequent destruction of gathering points for the Daesh terrorist group in Syrian territories," Tehran news reported.
According to IRNA, Daesh claimed responsibility for two bomb blasts that killed nearly 100 people at a memorial service for Iran’s top anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani in southeastern Iran early this month.
In Iraq, the IRGC reportedly said it had struck an alleged Israeli target. It announced a "missile attack and the destruction of the Zionist regime's spy headquarters (Mossad) in the Kurdistan region of Iraq". Mossad is the national intelligence agency of the State of Israel.
"This headquarters has been the centre for developing espionage operations and planning terrorist actions in the region," the official IRNA news agency reported. The attack in Iraq was said to be in response to recent Israeli assassinations of Iranian and pro-Iranian commanders.
In Syria, the Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said the strikes against alleged Islamic State (IS) targets were in response to recent attacks in Iran.