Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced on Wednesday, August 27, that its forces killed 13 militants in a series of joint counter-terrorism operations in the volatile southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
In a statement published on its official news platform, Sepah News, the IRGC said its ground forces coordinated with intelligence units to conduct the raids in three counties Iranshahr, Khash, and Saravan.
The operations, which took place early Wednesday, also led to the arrest of several suspects, although the exact number remains undisclosed.
According to Iran’s police spokesman Saeed Montazerolmahdi, the most significant confrontation occurred in Iranshahr, where eight militants were killed.
Authorities said the fighters were directly linked to a deadly attack last Friday on police patrol units in the same area. That ambush had left five Iranian policemen dead, sparking widespread security concerns across the province.
Montazerolmahdi added that security forces recovered a large cache of weapons and ammunition during the operation.
Some of the confiscated arms, Iranian media reported, had been stolen by the militants in last week’s assault on the police patrols.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency further reported that the seized arsenal included both light and heavy weapons, signaling that the militants had access to significant firepower.
Sistan and Baluchestan, which shares porous borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long been a flashpoint for clashes between Iranian security forces and armed groups.
The province is one of Iran’s most underdeveloped regions and has also been a hub for smuggling networks and insurgent activity.
The IRGC emphasized that its latest operations were part of broader efforts to dismantle “terrorist cells” operating in the border region.
It vowed that Iran’s security forces would continue to target groups threatening stability in the southeast.
So far, authorities have not released the identities or affiliations of the militants killed or arrested.
However, past incidents in the region have often been attributed to extremist groups and separatist movements seeking to undermine Iran’s security.
The IRGC’s announcement comes at a time of heightened tensions along Iran’s borders, with officials in Tehran repeatedly accusing foreign-backed elements of fueling unrest in Sistan and Baluchestan.