Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 5
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iran's police said it has thwarted an armed Baluchi rebel's attack on a police base in southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
The attack took place last night near the city of Zahedan, the provincial police said in a statement, Fars news agency reported Feb. 5.
The rebels escaped after auxiliary forces arrived in the region, the statements said, adding that the one-hour armed clash left no causality.
In recent months, extremist groups have conducted several attacks against local police offices. The groups claim they're fighting against the Iranian government for protection of Sunni residents of the province.
One Iranian police officer was killed, and two other injured in an armed attack on Jan. 21. In similar incidents four police officers were killed in the city of Saravan last October.
In mid-January, the Commander of Sistan and Baluchestan province police, Brigadier General Hossein Rahimi said at least 18 members of a terrorist group involved in recent terror attacks in the province were detained.
"The terrorists were killing police officers and teachers in exchange for money they received from foreign countries," the commander said.
"They underwent military training for several months in Afghanistan and Pakistan. After receiving the money from a person working in an Arab country, they committed acts of terror in the region and wanted to create chaos," Rahimi said.
Edited by CN
Follow the author on Twitter: @UmidNiayesh