DUBAI, Feb 18 – Revolutionary Guards have broken up a group of militants in southeast Iran who were linked to a suicide bombing that killed 27 guards near the border with Pakistan last week, the Corps said on Monday.
“Last night, a terrorist cell was identified and destroyed in an operation,” the Corps said in a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Three militants were arrested and explosive material was seized from houses in the cities of Saravan and Khash, it said.
“They were linked to the suicide bombing attack last week. The Corps will continue its efforts to take revenge over the deadly terrorist attack,” it said.
The Sunni group Jaish al Adl (Army of Justice), which says it seeks greater rights and better living conditions for the ethnic minority Baluchis, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Shi’ite Muslim Iran says militant groups operate from safe havens in Pakistan and have repeatedly called on the neighboring country to crack down on them.
Iranian authorities also accuse regional rival Sunni Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates of financially supporting militant Sunni groups that attack Iranian forces. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE deny backing such militants.
Iran summoned the Pakistani ambassador to protest the attack.
(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
