4 policemen die in clash with gunmen

Tehran: An Iranian government-owned newspaper says a clash with armed drug smugglers in southern Iran left four policemen dead.

The IRNA daily says gunfire erupted after police stopped a truck with smugglers on Wednesday morning in Manoujan district, about 1,000 kilometres south of the capital, Tehran.

The report says the gunmen escaped, leaving some 200 kilogrammes of opium and hashish at the site.

Yesterday's report provided no further details.

Common

Such clashes are common in the area, which is a known route for drugs destined for Arab countries in the Gulf and Europe from Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Iranian authorities confiscate hundreds of tonnes of narcotics — mostly opium — every year.