Pakistan recovers 5 abducted Iranian guards

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistani forces have recovered five of the 14 Iranian security personnel, who were abducted last month near border with Pakistan, an official said on Thursday.

In a Twitter post, Mohammad Faisal, spokesman for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, announced that five of the abducted Iranian guards were safely recovered by Pakistani security forces.

"They are in good health, being handed over to Iranian authorities," Faisal added.

On Oct. 16, the Iranian television reported that 14 border guards, including seven members of Basij militia and two members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, were abducted in the city of Mirjaveh in the southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province.

The abduction was quickly claimed by a group calling itself Jaish ul-Adl (Army of Justice), which is active in the province.

Faisal assured that concerted efforts under vigilance of military leadership continued to recover the other abducted guards.

Jaish ul-Adl -- designated as a terrorist group by Iran -- is an opposition group which says it aims to protect the rights of Sunni Baloch people.

In April 2017, the group abducted an Iranian soldier before releasing him four months later.