Gunmen kill police officers in southeastern Iran attack

Two Iranian police officers were killed and another wounded on Monday in an armed attack targeting a police patrol in the city of Bampur, Sistan and Baluchestan province, southeastern Iran.

The provincial police news agency reported that gunmen opened fire on the patrol while officers were carrying out security duties along the Bampur–Iranshahr road, resulting in casualties.

Police said they have launched an operation to identify and arrest those responsible, adding that the attackers remain at large.

Meanwhile, the Baluch-focused news platform Hal Vash reported that two military vehicles in the area were also targeted, with gunmen firing on one of the vehicles and killing at least three occupants. Local sources indicated that all passengers in the vehicle may have been killed, but the exact number of victims could not be confirmed.

The police statement did not provide further details about the second vehicle or the status of its passengers. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and Iranian authorities have not officially accused any organization.

Sistan and Baluchestan province has witnessed repeated clashes over the past decades between Baluch armed groups and Iranian forces, particularly in Saravan, Iranshahr, Chabahar, and Zahedan.

Some of these armed groups trace their origins to Jundallah, founded by Abdolmalek Rigi in 2002. After his execution in 2010, other groups emerged, most notably Jaish al-Adl, which has claimed major attacks, including the assault on the Rask police station in December 2023 that killed 11 officers, according to Iranian sources.