Nine killed in Pakistani shelling of Iran positions

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday that military strikes against anti-Islamabad militants have been carried out inside Iran, two days after Tehran carried out strikes inside Pakistan. China offered mediation to avoid further escalation between the two countries.

"This morning, Pakistan carried out a series of precision, highly coordinated military strikes specifically directed against terrorist hideouts in Iran's Sistan and Baluchistan province," the Foreign Office said in a statement, referring to the so-called Baluchistan Liberation Army militant group inside Iran.

"The action was taken this morning in light of credible intelligence of large-scale imminent terrorist activities," it said.

The Al Jazeera correspondent quoted Pakistani sources as saying that the strikes that targeted the province of Sistan-Baluchestan hit 6 targets inside 3 sites, 40 to 50 kilometers inside Iranian territory.

A number of "terrorists" were killed in the operation, which was based on intelligence information, the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.

Iran's official media reported that three women and four children, all Pakistanis, were among the dead.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Pakistani charge d'affaires in Tehran to provide clarification regarding the attack. Iranian television quoted an informed source as saying, "We condemn Pakistan's attack, and we demand a quick clarification about the incident."

The Pakistani Foreign Office said that Interim Prime Minister Anwar ul-Haq Kakar would cut short his visit to Davos to participate in the World Economic Forum, due to current developments.

She said Islamabad "fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran" and added that "the sole purpose of today's action was to seek to preserve Pakistan's security and national interest, which is paramount and inviolable."

Mediation View
In the midst of the current tensions, China has offered to mediate between Pakistan and Iran. "The Chinese side sincerely hopes that both sides can calm down, exercise restraint and avoid escalating tensions," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular press conference. "We are ready to play a constructive role in de-escalation if both sides so wish."

Pakistan warned Iran of "serious consequences" after Tehran announced it was targeting "rockets and marches", which it said were the headquarters of the Jaish-e-Justice armed group in Pakistani territory.

Iranian strikes inside Pakistan destroyed two bases used by the Jaish al-Adel group, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported, while Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the attack "killed two innocent children and injured three girls".

Jaish al-Adl, or Army of Justice, has claimed responsibility for several attacks in southeastern Iran, and the group is designated a "terrorist organization" by the United States and Iran.

Relations between Pakistan and Iran have been strained in the past. Tehran and Islamabad have repeatedly accused each other of allowing militants operating from their respective territories to launch attacks, but government forces on both sides have rarely intervened.

Source: Al-Jazeera + agencies