Mortar shells fired into Pakistani territory by Iranian border forces

Published July 8, 2017
This is not the first time Iranian forces have violated Pakistani territory by firing mortar shells. - File
This is not the first time Iranian forces have violated Pakistani territory by firing mortar shells. - File

Iranian border guards fired three mortar shells into Pakistani territory near the Panjgur border in Balochistan, a member of the local administration told DawnNews. Levies sources said there has been no loss of life as a result of the attack, which was said to be unprovoked.

The shells landed almost 1.5 kilometres inside Pakistani territory, Levies officials said.

Levies and Frontier Corps personnel were reported to have reached Parom, the area where the shells landed, to collect evidence.

Panic prevailed among the people living in the area in the aftermath of the attack.

Security was reported to have been tightened at the border.

Iranian forces have violated Pakistani territory with frequency in recent months. Pakistan has repeatedly lodged protests with Iran over border violations.

In May, a man was killed in Panjgur when a mortar shell fired by Iran border guards hit his vehicle. The incident had occurred two weeks after a meeting between Pakistani and Iranian officials to discuss border security.

Tehran had also threatened Islamabad with military strikes against alleged “terrorists safe havens” after 10 Iranian border guards died in a recent militant attack.

Though Pakistan denied involvement, Iran held the government responsible.

Pakistan shares a 900-kilometre long porous border with Iran and the two countries had in 2014 decided to boost intelligence coordination to wipe out terrorists from the border region.

Pakistan, as part of its counter-terrorism efforts, has recently also stepped up border management in an attempt to better check cross-border movement of suspected terrorists.

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