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Tehran, Iran – Iranian militants on Tuesday kidnapped 14 members of a border security force near the Pakistani border in the latest blow to the powerful Revolutionary Guards.
According to media reports, an unnamed but informed source reportedly stated that two of the abductees were members of the Guard Intelligence Service. The remainder includes seven members of the Basij Force, a volunteer branch of the Guard, as well as regular Iranian border guards.
The abduction was held in the dark near the Loukdan crossing point in South-East Sistan and Baluchistan Province. The region, located on one of the main opium trafficking routes, has been the scene of occasional clashes between Iranian forces and Baluchi separatists, as well as drug traffickers.
Iran's media later said that an al-Qaida-affiliated group, known as Jaish al-Adl, had claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a previous kidnapping, the militant group killed an Iranian officer and released four soldiers after holding them for nearly two months. The captives were reportedly taken to Pakistan.
The guard confirmed the latest kidnappings in a statement posted on its website, saying the attack was a "treason committed by infiltrators".
The statement blamed a "terrorist group guided and supported by foreign intelligence services" and said the Iranian security forces "would seriously pursue bandits, terrorists and infiltrators." The authors were "hired by countries of the region harmful" , reactionaries and terrorists, "referring to Saudi Arabia, its regional rival, and its Gulf Arab allies.
The Guard also asked Pakistan to take steps to secure its side of the border.
Later on Tuesday, General Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Guard's ground forces, called for a joint Iran-Pakistan operation against the perpetrators of the kidnappings. He said the Pakistani side should "take on more responsibility in this regard".
Iranian television said the attack had occurred near a Pakistani border guard post.
The paramilitary guard reports directly to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In September, militants disguised as soldiers opened fire on a military parade in the oil-rich Ahvaz town in southwestern Iran, killing 24 people and injuring more than 60 others. Khamenei accused Riyadh and Abu Dhabi of the attack, accusations denied by both countries.
Arab separatists in the region have claimed responsibility for the attack, along with the group of the Islamic State.
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