The Iranian Revolutionary Guards are attempting to deal with a shaky security situation in the southeast of the country after the protests spread to the Sunni Balochistan region along the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan. Iran is attempting to contain the protests that are still spreading throughout the country by avoiding the killing of Mahsa Amini.
In an effort to distance the happenings in Tehran and the Kurdish cities in northwest Iran from the events in Balochistan, the Revolutionary Guards released a statement after another senior officer was killed in the skirmishes there, claiming that the fighting was with “terrorists.”
The Baloch protesters, who could be seen in multiple videos, were allegedly shot because they were attempting to overrun a police station, according to the Iranian government.
While the Balochs refute these allegations and claim that the demonstrations took place to protest against the government’s oppressive policy and security attacks against Iranians, similar to their counterparts in Iran,
While the government maintain that the region’s issues are related to smuggling gangs, Baluchistan is a poor Sunni province on the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan that experiences sectarian prejudice and a decline in service and development projects. Attacks or skirmishes between security forces and armed groups are common in the area.
Due to injuries received during the confrontations, a second senior officer of the Revolutionary Guards passed away.
The guards have not stated whether these skirmishes are connected to the nationwide protests that have broken out since Iranian Kurdish lady Mahsa Amini was killed on September 16 after being detained by the morality police.
The statement stated that Colonel Hamid Reza Hashemi, another member of the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence division, passed away from wounds received during Friday’s clashes with terrorists.
In battles that Governor of Sistan-Baluchestan Hussain Mudarres Khaybani referred to as “accidents,” twenty people were killed on Friday in Sistan-Baluchestan (southeast), including two Revolutionary Guard colonels.
The Sunni province of Balochistan is impacted by Iran’s mistreatment of minorities.
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