Analysis: Attack Kills Border Guards in Sistan-e Balochistan, Highlighting Low-Level Risks from Banditry and Militancy
Category: Criminal Activity
Severity: 2 (Low)
Source: Drum Cussac
06/22/2018 (Iran) - On Wednesday, 20 June, gunmen killed two border guards and injured three others in an attack on a border post in the Talib-Khan Hill area of Sistan-e Balochistan province. The assailants were reportedly attempting to infiltrate Iran from an area near the common border with Pakistan and Afghanistan. Two of the assailants were killed at the scene, while an unspecified number of others fled following the attack. Officials said the attackers were drug traffickers, claiming to have recovered quantities of illegal drugs, weapons and telecommunications equipment in subsequent operations.
The incident underscores the risks associated with banditry and criminal activity in the southeastern province. Drug and people smuggling gangs operate in the Iran-Pakistan border area and have clashed with security forces in the past. Organised crime is a particular problem in the provincial capital Zahedan and the towns of Zabil and Mirjaveh. High levels of banditry and a vibrant informal economy contribute to insecurity in the region, with clashes between criminal elements and smugglers from neighbouring countries a common occurrence.
Sistan-e Balochistan also suffers from a low-level insurgency by Islamist and ethnic Baloch groups. Sunni Muslim Jaish al-Adl group is particularly active in the area, taking advantage of a safe haven for Sunni militant groups within Pakistan. The group has carried out occasional hit-and-run attacks on security personnel after crossing the border from Pakistan in recent years. On 17 April, armed militants at the Mirjaveh border crossing killed two border guards. Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for the attack in a Twitter post. On 11 March, a suicide bomber targeted a border checkpoint close to Sarawan city, injuring two Iranian security forces. Four militants were killed in that incident.
Militancy in the eastern border areas including in Sistan-e-Balochistan province is fuelled by the widespread grievances of their disenfranchised minority populations. The population of the province is predominantly Sunni Muslim, while the majority of Iranians are Shias. Sunni Muslim and ethnic Baloch communities complain of government marginalisation as well as socio-economic issues including unemployment and lack of regional development. Indeed, Jaish al-Adl claims its actions are meant to highlight what they say is discrimination against Sunni Muslims and the Baluch ethnic group in the province. The region has the lowest per capita income in Iran, making it fertile ground for recruitment into militant groups.
It is highly likely that one-off incidents of militancy and/or criminal activity will continue periodically as various socio-economic grievances and security challenges in the border areas persist. The challenges of monitoring the porous borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan will also contribute to insecurity in the region. Arrest operations targeting suspected militants and bandits are also likely to occur, and there is a high likelihood of clashes breaking out during such instances.
Counterterrorism efforts and border security are prioritised and security forces appear capable of keeping militant groups in check, limiting their activity to remote areas near border regions. Current indicators suggest militants are unlikely to target foreign nationals or assets in the country and will rather focus their activity on security forces and government interests. Security operations, raids, arrests, and clashes are expected to continue in the Sistan-e Balochistan border areas. Such activity has the potential to pose travel delays as well as risks of exposure to incidental violence to those in the vicinity.
Copyright © 2024 Drum Cussac
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