Attack on a police convoy in a restive southeastern province of Iran kills 10 officers

An onslaught successful Iran’s restive southeast killed 10 members of nan country’s nationalist constabulary force

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- An onslaught connected an Iranian constabulary convoy Saturday successful nan country's restive confederate state of Sistan and Baluchestan killed astatine slightest 10 officers, authorities said.

Details stay scarce complete nan onslaught successful Gohar Kuh, immoderate 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) southeast of nan Iranian capital, Tehran.

Initially, reports simply described an onslaught by “miscreants” without much information. But soon after, Iranian authorities media said 10 officers had been killed.

HalVash, an defense group for nan Baluch group of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, posted photos and video of what appeared to beryllium a abnormal motortruck painted pinch nan greenish stripe utilized by Iranian constabulary vehicles. One schematic photograph shared by nan group showed what appeared to beryllium nan corpses of 2 constabulary officers successful nan beforehand spot of nan truck.

HalVash said nan onslaught appeared to target 2 information unit vehicles and each those riding successful them were killed. The motortruck appeared to person only harm from bullets, alternatively than immoderate explosive being used.

The state-run IRNA news agency said that Eskandar Momeni, nan country's interior minister, ordered an investigation into nan incident that it described arsenic causing nan “martyrdom of a number of police.”

Authorities identified nary contiguous suspects for nan attack, nor did immoderate group declare responsibility. The battle came aft Israel launched a awesome onslaught crossed Iran early Saturday morning.

The Baluch regions crossed nan 3 nations person faced a low-level insurgency by Baluch nationalists for much than 2 decades. Verifying accusation remains difficult successful Iran's Sistan and Baluchistan, which for decades has been location to unit involving heroin traffickers.

The state is 1 of nan slightest developed parts of Iran. Relations betwixt nan predominantly Sunni Muslim residents of nan region and Iran’s Shiite theocracy person agelong been strained. Typical attacks impact hit-and-run assaults by militants successful nan region, for illustration nan Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl, that termination a fewer information officials astatine a time.

However, location person been wide casualty attacks by militants successful nan past. In April, gunmen wearing explosive vests attacks respective sites successful nan province, sidesplitting 10 earlier information forces gunned down 18 militants. Last December, another battle killed 11 and wounded 8 others.

Meanwhile, nan Taliban said they are investigating reports that Afghan migrants had been killed by Iranian information forces successful nan region earlier successful October, an incident that threatened to further strain relations betwixt nan nations.

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Associated Press writer Amir Vahdat successful Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.