10 Officers Killed in Attack on Iranian Police Convoy in Restive Province

An attack on an Iranian police convoy in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan on Saturday resulted in the deaths of at least 10 police officers, state media reported. The ambush occurred in Gohar Kuh, about 1,200 kilometers southeast of Tehran, but details are scarce.

Authorities did not identify any suspects and no group claimed responsibility for the attack. HalVash, a group advocating for the Baloch people, shared photos and videos showing a disabled police truck riddled with bullet holes. One of the photos showed the bodies of two police officers inside the vehicle. HalVash reported that two security force vehicles were targeted and all their occupants were killed.

The State Islamic Republic News Agency reported that Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni ordered an investigation into the incident, citing “the martyrdom of many police officers.” The attack came amid long-running tensions in Sistan and Baluchistan, one of Iran’s poorest and most volatile regions.

The region borders Pakistan and Afghanistan and has a predominantly Sunni Muslim population, unlike Iran’s Shiite majority. This situation led to tense relations with the central government. For more than two decades, the region has been subject to low-level insurgency by Baloch nationalist groups seeking greater autonomy. Groups such as Jaish al-Adl have previously carried out hit-and-run attacks against security forces.

Mass casualty incidents have occurred in the past, including attacks in April and last December that resulted in multiple deaths on both sides. Verifying information in the province is difficult due to its remote location and limited access.

The attack on the police convoy came after Israel launched major airstrikes against military targets in Iran in the early hours of Saturday morning, escalating regional tensions. It is not yet known whether there is any connection between the two events.

Meanwhile, the Taliban announced in early October that they were investigating reports of Afghan migrants being killed by Iranian security forces in the region; This incident may further strain relations between Iran and Afghanistan.