Iran’s security forces are reported to have killed a prominent commander of the Jaish al-Adl militant group, Esmaeil Shahbakhsh, along with some of his associates, within Pakistan’s borders, according to Iran’s state media.
“On Friday evening, Iranian security forces killed Esmaeil Shahbakhsh, a ringleader of the Jaish al-Adl ‘terrorist’ group, inside Pakistan near the border province of Sistan-Baluchestan,” the Tehran Times reported.
However, the Pakistani military on Saturday refuted the Iranian media reports that Iranian forces had conducted operations inside Pakistani territory resulting in the death of a Jaish al-Adl commander.
This incident further escalates the already heightened tensions between Iran and Pakistan, following reciprocal airstrikes earlier in the year.
It’s noteworthy that this marks the second such incident this year that Iran claims to have executed within Pakistani territory. Previously, on January 17th, Iran alleged it targeted two Jaish al-Adl bases in Panjgur with missile and drone strikes.
Jaish al-Adl, active mainly in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan since its inception in 2012, has been responsible for numerous attacks against Iranian security forces. This includes a major attack on a police station in Sistan-Baluchestan in December, which resulted in the deaths of at least 11 police personnel.