UPDATE - Iran’s IRGC says killed over a dozen militants in southeast

UPDATES WITH 1 SOLDIER KILLED, CHANGES DECK

By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Wednesday that its forces killed more than a dozen militants in the country’s southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.

In a statement carried by Iranian state-run Press TV, the IRGC’s Quds Base said its fighters carried out three joint operations at dawn in the cities of Iranshahr, Khash, and Saravan.

According to the statement, 13 militants were killed in clashes and a number of others arrested.

During the operations, an Iranian soldier was killed and another wounded, IRGC said.

No details were immediately provided on the affiliation of the militants.

The southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long been a flashpoint for armed groups and smugglers.

Last week, state television said five police officers were killed in an armed attack in the province.

No group claimed responsibility for the assault, but the Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) group has previously claimed attacks on civilian and military targets in the region. Iran designates Jaish al-Adl as a terror organization.