Senior IRGC commander killed in clashes in southeast Iran
Brig. Hossein Zarifi killed during operation in Saravan near Iran’s border with Pakistan
Dubai: A senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was killed during an operation against armed men in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday.
Brigadier General Hossein Zarifi, commander of the IRGC’s Shahid Sajjad Operational Base in Saravan, was killed in clashes with armed men in the Saravan area, according to a statement from the Quds Base of the IRGC Ground Force carried by Tasnim.
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The IRGC said five members of an armed group were killed and others arrested during the operation. It described those targeted as members of a militant group, but did not identify the organisation. The claims and casualty figures could not be independently verified.
Earlier on Wednesday, Tasnim reported that Iranian security forces had launched an operation against a safe house in the Jahadabad area of Saravan, saying armed men had gathered at the location.
Iran International, citing the Baloch rights group Haalvsh, reported that at least 13 members of the security forces were seriously wounded. There was no immediate independent confirmation of that figure.
Saravan, close to Iran’s border with Pakistan, has seen repeated clashes between Iranian security forces and armed groups. On September 12, the IRGC said three Iranian intelligence and security personnel and four suspected militants were killed during another operation in the area.
The IRGC said Zarifi had served for more than a decade in southern Sistan and Baluchestan. His funeral is due to be held in Saravan on Friday.
