2024 Iran–Pakistan border skirmishes explained

Conflict:2024 Iran–Pakistan border skirmishes
Width:315px
Partof:the Insurgency in Balochistan
Date:16 January18 January 2024
Place:Balochistan (Iran and Pakistan)
Result:Status quo ante bellum
Combatant1:
Claimed by Pakistan:
Balochistan Liberation Army
Balochistan Liberation Front
Combatant2: Pakistan
Claimed by Iran:
Jaish ul-Adl
Commander1: Ali Khamenei

Ebrahim Raisi

Hossein Salami

Bashir Zeb
Allah Nazar Baloch
Commander2: Arif Alvi

Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar
Zaheer Ahmad Babar
Salahuddin Farooqui
Units1: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Units2: Pakistan Air Force
Strength2:
  • 500-700[1] -->
Casualties3:

On 16 January 2024, Iran conducted a series of missile strikes in Pakistan, asserting that it had targeted militants of the Baloch separatist group Jaish ul-Adl in the Pakistani province of Balochistan. This attack occurred one day after a similar series of Iranian missile strikes in Iraq and Syria, which the Iranian government had stated were in response to the Kerman bombings by the Islamic State on 3 January. Pakistan's government condemned the strikes as an "unprovoked violation" of Pakistani airspace and stated that two children had been killed.

Two days later, on 18 January, Pakistan conducted a retaliatory series of missile strikes in Iran, asserting that it had targeted militants of the Balochistan Liberation Army and the Balochistan Liberation Front in the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan. Iran's government condemned the strikes and stated that nine people had been killed, including four children. Pakistani airstrikes marked the first known instance of foreign country launching attacks on Iranian soil since the end of Iran-Iraq war 1988.[2]

Communicating through diplomatic channels on 19 January, both countries agreed to de-escalate and cooperate along the Iran–Pakistan border. Pakistan recalled the Iranian ambassador to Islamabad and reinstated the Pakistani ambassador in Tehran.

Foreign Minister of Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Pakistan on 29 January 2024 at the invitation of Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani in a push to diffuse the standoff.

Background

Iran–Pakistan border

See main article: article and Insurgency in Balochistan. The Iran–Pakistan border, spanning across Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan and Pakistan's Balochistan, faces significant challenges due to its high porosity, making it susceptible to extensive smuggling and terrorist activities, primarily orchestrated by Baloch insurgents.[3] Despite maintaining a generally positive relationship, both countries have consistently accused each other of harboring terrorists and falling short in ensuring security on their respective sides of the border. These concerns prompted the establishment of the Iran–Pakistan border barrier, with construction commencing on the Iranian fortifications in 2011 and on the Pakistani fortifications in 2019.[4] [5] [6]

Iranian missile strikes in Iraq and Syria

See main article: article, 2024 Kerman bombings and 2024 Erbil attack. On 15 January 2024, Iran launched a barrage of 15 missiles directed at Iraq and Syria. Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, suffered most from the assault, with all but four missiles hitting the city. The remaining four struck Syria's Idlib Governorate, specifically targeting areas under the control of the Syrian opposition.

The Iranian government asserted that it aimed to strike Israel in Iraq by destroying the regional headquarters of Mossad. However, both the Iraqi government and the autonomous Kurdish government refuted this claim and condemned the attack. The Iranian missile attack occurred almost two weeks after the Kerman bombings, for which the Islamic State claimed responsibility.

Iranian missile strikes in Pakistan

See main article: 2024 Iranian missile strikes in Pakistan. After conducting airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran targeted Koh-e-Sabz, a locality in the Panjgur District of Pakistan's Balochistan province, which resulted in the death of two Pakistani children. Pakistan swiftly denounced the attack, taking diplomatic measures by expelling the Iranian ambassador from Islamabad, recalling its own ambassador from Tehran, and issuing a stern warning to Iran regarding potential retaliatory actions.

Iran justified its actions by claiming that it had aimed at Jaish ul-Adl, a Baloch insurgent group involved in the Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency. This group had previously claimed responsibility for the 2019 Khash–Zahedan suicide bombing that targeted the IRGC.

Pakistani strikes in Iran

See main article: Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar. On 18 January, In a tit for tat move, Pakistan launched a retaliatory strike, codenamed Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar, carried out by the Pakistan Air Force against seven targets of the Balochistan Liberation Army and Balochistan Liberation Front terrorists in the Saravan city of Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran.[7] [8] Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi claimed nine foreign nationals were killed, including three women, four children and two men.[9] Such Pakistani strikes were the first known instances of attacks on Iranian soil since the end of the Iran-Iraq War.[10]

See also

Notes and References

  1. 1
  2. Web site: Cordall . Simon Speakman . 'Credibility at stake': Why did Iran strike inside Pakistan amid Gaza war? . 2024-04-07 . Al Jazeera . en.
  3. Web site: 5 January 2024 . Iran To Seal Off Porous Borders With Afghanistan, Pakistan To Beef Up Security . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240118073300/https://ifpnews.com/iran-to-seal-off-porous-borders-with-afghanistan-pakistan-to-beef-up-security/ . 18 January 2024 . 18 January 2024 . Iran Front Page . en-US.
  4. Web site: 16 April 2011 . Iran constructing fence on Pakistan border . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221126025115/https://tribune.com.pk/story/150669/iran-constructing-fence-on-pakistan-border/ . 26 November 2022 . The Express Tribune.
  5. Web site: Qureshi . Zubair . 23 February 2019 . Pakistan to fence 950km of border with Iran . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240118073243/https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/pakistan-to-fence-950km-of-border-with-iran-1.62257071 . 18 January 2024 . 18 January 2024 . Gulf News.
  6. Web site: Baabar . Mariana . 19 July 2019 . Pakistan, Iran agree on border fencing . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240118073242/https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/500340-pakistan-iran-agree-on-border-fencing . 18 January 2024 . www.thenews.com.pk.
  7. Web site: 18 January 2024 . Pakistan launches retaliatory air strikes inside Iran as tensions rise . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240118183356/https://www.trtworld.com/asia/pakistan-strikes-seven-locations-of-bla-terror-group-inside-iran-16691240 . 18 January 2024 . TRT World.
  8. Web site: 18 January 2024 . Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240118073843/https://mofa.gov.pk/press-releases/operation-marg-bar-sarmachar . 18 January 2024 . 18 January 2024 . Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Government of Pakistan . en.
  9. Web site: Siddiqui . Usaid . Pakistan-Iran attacks updates: 9 killed near Iran's southeast border . 2024-01-19 . Al Jazeera . en.
  10. Web site: Cordall . Simon Speakman . 'Credibility at stake': Why did Iran strike inside Pakistan amid Gaza war? . 2024-04-07 . Al Jazeera . en.