AMN
The Chief of the Iranian armed forces warned Islamabad today that Tehran would hit bases inside Pakistan if the government does not confront Sunni terrorists who carry out cross-border attacks.
Ten Iranian border guards were killed by terrorists last month. Iran said a Sunni terrorist group Jaish al Adl, had shot the guards with long-range guns, fired from inside Pakistan.
Iranian news agency IRNA quoted the army’s chief-of-staff Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri as saying that they cannot accept the continuation of this situation.
He said, Iran expects the Pakistani officials to control the borders, arrest the terrorists and shut down their bases. Bagheri said if the terrorist attacks continue, Iranian soldiers will hit their safe havens and cells, wherever they are.
The border area has long been plagued by unrest from both drug smuggling gangs and separatist terrorists. Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Pakistan last week and asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to improve the border security. Pakistan assured Iran it would deploy additional troops along its border.
