Police officer killed and another injured in armed clash in southeastern Iran

A police officer was killed and another was injured today, Saturday, August 16, during violent confrontations between security forces and armed men in Sistan and Baluchestan province in southeastern Iran, according to local media reports and as quoted by the "French Press Agency".

The "Fars" news agency, affiliated with the "Revolutionary Guard", reported from local police that the clash occurred between security forces in Iranshahr and armed men, resulting in "the injury of one police officer and the martyrdom of another". It added: "After an exchange of gunfire, the armed men were injured and managed to escape, while the forces continue to pursue them".

For its part, the Iranian news agency "ISNA" confirmed the incident, which comes amid ongoing clashes in the region between security forces on one side and armed men from the Baluch minority, extremist groups, and drug trafficking gangs on the other side.

Sistan and Baluchestan, located on the borders of Pakistan and Afghanistan, is one of the poorest provinces in Iran, and it has a large population of Baluch people. The region witnesses activity from armed groups, most notably the "Army of Justice", which conducts its operations from rear bases in Pakistan.

It is worth mentioning that this incident is not the first of its kind; just a week ago, an attack attributed by local media to the "Army of Justice" resulted in the death of a police officer in the same province.