Bombs are fired following Iranian bombings on Pakistani soil and target hideouts of separatist militants
The Pakistan government announced this Thursday morning (18 January 2024) the launch of air strikes against separatist militant hideouts in southeastern Iran. The action follows similar attacks carried out by Tehran on Pakistani territory.
“This morning, Pakistan carried out a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts in Iran's Siestan-o-Baluchistan province.”, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “Several terrorists were killed”, he added. Here's the full statementin English (PDF – 249 kB).
In the text, Pakistan justified the attack with Iran's inaction in combating terrorists from the Sarmachars group, of Pakistani origin, on Iranian territory. Islamabad (capital of Pakistan) stated that it shared documents with Tehran that prove the paramilitary group's activities in Iran, but that nothing was done to combat it.
“Due to lack of action regarding our serious concerns, the so-called Sarmachars continued to shed the blood of innocent Pakistanis with impunity. This morning's action was taken in light of credible intelligence about imminent terrorist activities,” the Pakistan government said.
However, he said he respected “fully the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran”. And he added: “The sole objective of today's act was the pursuit of Pakistan's own security and national interest, which is paramount and cannot be compromised.”.
Iran attacked Pakistan
The launch follows a reverse movement: “precision missile and drone attacks” carried out by Iran, on the night of Tuesday (16 January), against Sunni militants from the Jeysh al-Adl group, in the province of Baluchistan, southwest Pakistan. The information was released by the news agency Tasnim (aligned with the Iranian state).
In the same vein as what the Pakistani government said, Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, stated that his country respects Pakistan's sovereignty, but that his country will not allow anyone to play with your security. Amirabdollahian was asked about the topic during his participation in the 54th World Economic Forum in 2024, in Davos (Switzerland).
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