Extremist Militants Responsible for Kidnapping Iranian Troops

Local Editor

A militant group has claimed responsibility for the abduction of 12 Iranian security personnel near the border with Pakistan, Iran's semi-official news agency ISNA reported Monday.

"The terrorist group Jaish al-Adl [Army of Justice] has posted two photos... claiming that those in it are the forces abducted" on Oct. 16, ISNA said.

Jaish al-Adl, formed in 2012, is a successor to the extremist group Jundallah [Soldiers of God] which has carried out a spate of attacks on Iranian security forces in recent years in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan.

The photos show seven members of the elite Revolutionary Guard force and five police commandos, all in combat gear, according to state news agency IRNA.

The Iranians, including intelligence offices, were abducted near Lulakdan, a village 150 kilometers southeast of Zahedan, capital of Sistan-Baluchistan.

They were "made unconscious" by a "single infiltrator" and then kidnapped and taken to bases inside Pakistan, said Guard commander Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, quoted by IRNA.

The photos also show a haul of automatic weapons and sniper rifles, rocket launchers, machine-guns, grenades and ammunition, apparently seized from the Iranian forces.

A delegation led by the Guard's ground forces commander Mohammad Pakpour visited Pakistan on Monday to follow up on efforts to free the Iranians, the force said on its website.

Pakistan said last Wednesday that it has launched "active" efforts to locate the missing men.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has blamed the kidnapping on "our common enemies unhappy with the existing close, friendly relations between Pakistan and Iran."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team