Tension is rising in Asia, as Iran launched missile and drone attacks on the base of Jaish ul-Adl in Pakistan's Balochistan Province on January 16, 2024. Immediately after the incident, Pakistan warned Iran, saying that the latter would have to "suffer the dire consequences". On January 17, Pakistan retaliated against Iran. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry issued a statement, stressing that "several terrorists" were killed in the operation, called 'Marg Bar Sarmachar'. Islamabad claimed that two Pakistani children were killed in the Iranian attack, while three Iranian children and four women were killed in Pakistan's counter-attack.
Jaish ul-Adl (or Jaish al-Adl or Army of Justice) is a Sunni militant and Baluchi separatist organisation that operates mainly in southeastern Iran, where there is a substantial concentration of Sunni Baluchis, and a porous border with Pakistan.
It may be noted that Iran launched missile attacks on a secret base of the Israeli spy agency Mossad in Iraq's Kurdistan Region and also in Syria on January 15 before targeting the Jaish ul-Adl base in Pakistan. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian admitted that Tehran's only aim was to destroy the bases of the militant outfit, and the Elite Revolutionary Guards of his country destroyed two bases of the Jaish. Incidentally, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited the Islamic Republic just a day before Iran attacked the Jaish ul-Adl bases in Pakistan.
In Tehran, Dr Jaishankar met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to discuss various important bilateral, regional and global issues. As expected, diplomats started trying to find a link between the two events. However, India released a statement, mentioning its position in view of the conflict between the two neighbouring countries. On January 17, spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal stated: "We will not be commenting on the Pakistan-Iran matter. This is a matter between Iran and Pakistan. Insofar as India is concerned, we have an uncompromising zero tolerance towards terrorism. We understand actions that countries take in their self-defence."
Earlier, Iran declared the Jaish ul-Adl (formed in 2012) a terrorist organisation. Tehran claimed that although the activities of this Sunni outfit were mainly across the border of Pakistan, it recently carried out several attacks on Iranian soil. Hence, Iran launched missile and drone attacks on the bases of Jaish ul-Adl in Pakistan's Sabz Koh village (about 45km from the Iranian border and 90km from the nearest town Panjgur).
Iran and Pakistan, which have been involved in armed conflicts for a long time, have been accused of harbouring militant groups that attack cross-border areas. Militant activities along the nearly 900km border between the two neighbouring countries have long been a headache for both Tehran and Islamabad. The bilateral ties touched a new low after the recent events. Following the Iranian attacks, Pakistan claimed that Tehran's unprovoked attacks on Balochistan were against International Law and UN Principles. Islamabad also took tough diplomatic measures towards Iran. Apart from withdrawing its ambassador from Tehran, Islamabad also banned the Iranian ambassador from entering Pakistan. The Iranian ambassador was not in Pakistan at the time of the incident.
Meanwhile, China urged the two countries to show restraint. In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said: "China believes that the relations between countries should be handled based on the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and International Law, and all countries' sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity should be earnestly respected and protected."
As mentioned earlier, Iran launched missile attacks on Syria and Iraq on January 15. According to Tehran, the Iranian Forces targeted the secret cells of Mossad in Iraq's Kurdistan Region and in Syria. The Islamic Republic claimed that its ballistic missiles destroyed Mossad headquarters in Kurdistan. The Iranian media reported that the Elite Revolutionary Guards carried out the attacks in Iraq, while the Iranian Army that took part in the Civil War in Syria was in charge of the attack in that country. Meanwhile, Masrour Barzani, the Prime Minister of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in Iraq, dismissed Iran's claim, stating: "Accusations of Israeli spy HQ are baseless."
The ongoing armed conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas Movement has complicated the regional geopolitics in West Asia. In such a situation, Iran and Pakistan have triggered a fresh tension. If this tension escalates into a full-scale war, then the global community might experience the Third World War in near future!
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