Iran summons Pakistani envoy after retaliatory military strike

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Pakistani envoy after Pakistan carried out a series of deadly military strikes on Iranian soil. Nine people were killed in the strikes that were directed at separatist militant hideouts.

This latest incident in the Sistan-Baluchistan province, close to the border between the two countries, has increased the tension between the two countries exponentially. Pakistan and Iran have long accused each other of harboring militant groups who are responsible for attacks from regions along their shared border.

Islamabad said that its forces launched a “series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes” as part of an operation called “Marg Bar Sarmachar”, a phrase which loosely translates to “death to the guerrilla fighters.” It added that it “fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” and that the “sole objective of today’s act was in pursuit of Pakistan’s own security and national interest which is paramount and cannot be compromised.”

The hideouts targeted in the operation were said to be used by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), two militant groups fighting for greater regional autonomy. The BLF said in a separate statement that it does not have any hideouts in Iran and that no BLF fighters had been killed in recent attacks. The BLA has not yet commented publicly on Pakistan’s strikes on Iranian territory.