Story thread · 4 reports / 4 sources

IRGC commander killed in clashes with gunmen in Iran's restive south-east

thenationalnews.com · 9h · first reportShare

An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander has been killed in fighting with armed men in Iran’s restive south-east province of Sistan and Baluchestan, state media said. Brig Gen Hossein Zarifi, head of the IRGC’s Shahid Sajjad base in Saravan, was killed during an operation against what Iranian authorities described as an “enemy-backed” militant group. Fighting was still raging early on Thursday in the Jihadabad area of Saravan, about 50km from Iran’s border with Pakistan, with heavy gunfire reported in the area, the Baloch rights group Haalvsh said. The IRGC’s regional base said in a statement carried by Tasnim news agency that Brig Gen Zarifi “gave his life on the front line of battle”. The official Irna news agency said forces from the IRGC, the Intelligence Ministry and the police had targeted what authorities described as a “terrorist group” that they claimed had been planning an attack in Saravan. Irna reported that five members of the group were killed and several others wer