ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Clashes continued in Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province in the early hours of Thursday, with heavy gunfire reported in the Jihadabad area as military drones flew over the city and surrounding areas, according to Baloch rights group Haalvsh. Haalvsh, which monitors the human rights violations in the region, reported Thursday that a video sent to the group showed military drones flying over Saravan and nearby areas. The renewed gunfire came after hours of clashes on Wednesday between Iranian military and security forces and members of the Baluch armed group Popular Fighters Front in Jihadabad. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Hossein Zarifi, commander of the Shahid Sajjad Operational Base in Saravan, and Ahmad Herati Zera’ati, the base’s intelligence chief, "were killed" in the fighting and "at least 13 others were wounded," while four armed individuals were also killed according to IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news. Tasnim news agency, citing an announcement by the Quds Regional Base of the IRGC Ground Force, confirmed Zarifi’s death and said he was killed while confronting what it described as “enemy’s mercenary terrorists.” The IRGC said Zarifi “sacrificed his life on the front lines of battle” while serving the "security of the people" and the "defense" of Iran’s borders. The latest violence comes amid a series of armed confrontations and targeted killings in Iran’s Kurdish-majority northwest and Baloch-majority southeast. Sistan and Baluchestan, in southeastern Iran, borders Pakistan and Afghanistan and has long faced attacks by Baloch armed groups as well as security operations by Iranian forces. It is the most underserved part of the country with little state investment. Haalvsh said hundreds of military and security forces had surrounded Razi Hospital in Saravan, blocking all roads leading to the facility and allowing only ambulances to enter and leave. Internet access in the area was also severely disrupted, according to the group. A large number of military and security personnel killed or wounded in Wednesday’s clashes were reportedly taken to Razi Hospital, prompting the heavy security presence around the facility. The group’s sources also alleged that security forces discharged several patients from the maternity ward without their consent or authorization from attending doctors. Earlier this month, three members of the IRGC were killed in a clash with Baloch militants in Saravan, according to semi-official Iranian media. The People’s Fighters Front said one of its units in the Bakhshan area had come under attack by Iranian military and security forces. Days later, Sunni cleric Yousef Gorgij was shot dead in Zahedan. His reported ties to the IRGC and Iranian government institutions drew attention, although the perpetrators and motive remained unclear.
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