Iran Urges Swift Joint Action with Pakistan to Rescue Hostages
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli called for immediate joint operation with Pakistan to secure the release of Iranian border guards who have been kidnapped on the country’s border with Pakistan.
In a letter to Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi, the Iranian minister called on the Islamabad government to honor its security commitments and prevent attacks from inside Pakistan on the Iranian border posts.
His letter came after Pakistani-based terrorist groups kidnapped 14 Iranian forces at a border post in Mirjaveh region in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan.
Rahmani Fazli also highlighted Iran’s resolve to take action against the terrorist and Takfiri groups, noting, “All efforts must be focused on the liberation of the hostages, decisive fight against the terrorists, and prevention of such bitter incidents.”
The Iranian minister finally called for immediate joint operation with Pakistan to free the abductees within the framework of Iran-Pakistan bilateral ties, norms of good neighborliness and their security commitments.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force said on Tuesday that a number of its troops and local Basij forces had been abducted at a border post southeast of Iran on Monday evening after acts of treason and collusion involving an element or elements of the anti-Revolution groups who had infiltrated the country.
The IRGC is tasked with protecting the country’s northwestern and southeastern borders.
The Iranian military forces along the southeastern border areas are frequently attacked by terrorist groups coming from Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Tehran has frequently asked the two neighbors to step up security at the common border to prevent terrorist attacks on Iranian forces.
