Who are the Baloch separatists that Pakistan targeted in Iran?

The conflict in West Asia is likely to spread with Iran fuelling tensions. After attacking targets in Iraq and Syria, Iran carried out airstrikes on the militant group Jaish al-Adl in Pakistan. Islamabad had warned of “serious consequences” and now on Thursday has reportedly struck targets in Iran.

A statement released by the Pakistan ministry of foreign affairs said that it “undertook a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts in Siestan-o-Baluchistan province of Iran”. Several terrorists were killed in the intelligence-based operation codenamed ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’, a phrase which loosely translates to the “death of guerilla fighters”.

According to reports in local media, Pakistan has attacked the posts of two Baloch separatist groups – the Balochistan Liberation Front and the Balochistan Liberation Army. News agency AFP reported citing Pakistan intelligence officials that the country’s military conducted retaliatory strikes against Iran.

What’s going on between Iran and Pakistan? And what are the separatist groups that Pakistan has targeted in Iran?

What do we know about Pakistan’s airstrikes in Iran?

The Pakistani military conducted a series of “highly co-ordinated” retaliatory strikes against “terrorist hideouts” inside Iran on Thursday morning, said Pakistan’s foreign ministry office. A number of terrorists were killed in the operations, it says.

Nine people have been killed in the Pakistan strikes, claims Iranian media said that four children, all non-Iranians, were killed after several missiles hit a village in the Sistan-Baluchistan province that borders Pakistan, Reuters reports.

According to IRNA, several explosions were heard in the vicinity of Saravan, a city in the southeastern Iranian province near the Pakistan border.

An “informed official” was quoted as telling Iran’s state media. “Iran demands an immediate explanation from the Pakistani authorities about this incident”.

Why did Pakistan strike Iran?

The attack was in retaliation to Iran’s missile and drone strikes in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Tuesday night.

The Pakistan ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement, “Over the last several years, in our engagements with Iran, Pakistan has consistently shared its serious concerns about the safe havens and sanctuaries enjoyed by Pakistani origin terrorists calling themselves Sarmachars on the ungoverned spaces inside Iran. Pakistan also shared multiple dossiers with concrete evidence of the presence and activities of these terrorists.”

“However, because of lack of action on our serious concerns, these so-called Sarmachars continued to spill the blood of innocent Pakistanis with impunity. This morning’s action was taken in light of credible intelligence of impending large-scale terrorist activities by these so-called Sarmachars,” it added.

Pakistan has not named the terror groups it targeted. According to a report on NDTV, the posts of Baloch separatist groups –the Balochistan Liberation Front and the Balochistan Liberation Army – were hit near the city of Saravan in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan province.