In a retaliatory move, Pakistan conducted airstrikes within Iran, with the Pakistan Air Force reportedly targeting hideouts in Iranian territory where groups wanted by Pakistan were believed to be located.
This action came after Tehran claimed to have used “precision missile and drone strikes” to destroy two important headquarters of Pak-sponsored Jaish al-Adl in Pakistan a day earlier. In reaction, Islamabad denounced the violation of its sovereignty as “completely unacceptable” and issued a warning of “severe consequences.”
As per the Iranian media reports, the attack led to the killings of 4 children and 3 women.
Official confirmation from Pakistan
According to a statement from the Pakistan foreign ministry, the country carried out a series of well-coordinated and specifically targeted military strikes against hideouts in the Sistan-Baluchistan province of Iran.
The statement mentioned the elimination of a “number of terrorists”, but it also acknowledged the unfortunate deaths of at least three women and four children in one of the explosions, clarifying that they were not Iranian nationals.
Reportedly, missiles launched from Pakistan hit a border village in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan province. Meanwhile, officials in Pakistan-occupied-Balochistan province, bordering Iran, confirmed that four missiles struck the Panjgur district near the border.
The missiles hit the village of Koh-i-Sabaz, approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) inside Pak-occupied Balochistan.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul-Haq Kakar met with Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. During this meeting, Iran announced its targeting of Jaish al-Adl bases inside Pakistan using drone and missile strikes.
Jaish al-Adl, labeled a “terrorist” organization by Iran, was established in 2012 and operates in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province. The group has previously carried out numerous attacks on Iranian security forces, including an attack in December that resulted in the deaths of at least 11 police personnel.
Iran has accused Pakistan of harbouring Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni extremist group designated as a terrorist organization by Tehran. Pakistan, in turn, has accused Iran of supporting Baloch freedom fighters fighting against the Pakistani occupation of Balochistan.