Pakistan has announced the tragic loss of two children, fatally wounded, with three others injured following aerial attacks by neighboring Iran, which Islamabad has labeled a transgression of its territorial airspace.
The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Wednesday that it has promptly withdrawn its ambassador from Iran. In a reciprocal move, the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan has been barred from returning.
The ministry issued a strong condemnation, declaring, “This illegal act is completely unacceptable and bears no justification whatsoever. Pakistan reserves the right to respond to this illegal act. Iran will bear full responsibility for the repercussions.” This stance was emphasized in the wake of the incident.
Details have emerged indicating that the strikes, which occurred late on Tuesday, resulted in the tragic deaths of two innocent children and inflicted injuries upon three girls.
Social media has been awash with reports of explosions in the Balochistan province, amid the rugged terrain where both nations share a remote border that stretches close to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).
Earlier, Iranian state media had broadcast that Tehran targeted two bases linked to the Jaish al-Adl armed group situated within Pakistan. Both the IRNA news agency and state television reported that a combination of missiles and drones were employed in the offensive.
Furthermore, Press TV, the English-language wing of Iranian state television, attributed the strikes to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, although officials in Tehran have not yet issued a formal statement.
The Jaish al-Adl organization, known as the “Army of Justice,” has launched attacks targeting Iranian border guards since at least 2013 and has a record of bombings and abduction incidents involving border patrols.
According to Nournews, aligned with Iran’s supreme security body, the targets were within the Balochistan province.
While the Pakistani statement did not pinpoint the specific location, two Pakistani security officials informed Associated Press that a mosque in Balochistan’s Panjgur district was damaged by the Iranian offensive, approximately 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the border. These officials preferred anonymity, as they were not cleared to brief the media.
Both Tehran and Islamabad have, on numerous occasions, accused each other of harboring armed factions within their territories.
Emphasizing a cooperative stance towards regional terrorism, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry articulated, “Pakistan has always maintained that terrorism is a shared challenge for all states in the region and requires collective action. Such unilateral measures do not align with the spirit of fraternity and amicable neighborly relations and could significantly erode the mutual trust and confidence between the two nations.”
Only days before, Iran had launched missile attacks against ISIL targets in northern Syria and hit what it called an Israeli ‘spy center’ close to the U.S. Consulate in Iraq’s city of Erbil.
Iraq responded by denouncing the offensive, which resulted in civilian casualties, as a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty, prompting them to recall their ambassador from Tehran.
