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Iran's military forces killed senior Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) militant group commander Ismail Shahbakhsh and some of his companions in the Pakistan territory, Iran International English reported, citing Iran's state-run media.
In the latest development, Iran's forces, in an armed clash, attacked a militant group, one month after the two countries conducted air strikes on each other. Formed in 2012, Jaish al-Adl, designated as a "terrorist" organization by Iran, is a Sunni terrorist group that operates in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, Al Arabiya News reported. Over the years, Jaish al-Adl has launched numerous attacks on Iranian security forces. In December, Jaish al-Adl took responsibility for an attack on a police station in Sistan-Balochistan that claimed the lives of at least 11 police personnel, according to Al Arabiya News. However, last month, weeks after carrying out missile strikes against "terror units" in each other's territories, Pakistan and Iran mutually agreed to expand security cooperation, The News International reported. The agreement was announced during a joint press conference by Pakistan Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian at the Pakistan Foreign Office. Jilani said that both Iran and Pakistan can resolve "misunderstandings" fairly quickly. The two countries also agreed to fight terrorism in their respective areas and allay each other's concerns, he added. However, the recent attack showed the opposite. Notably, tensions between the two nations escalated after Tehran and Islamabad carried out missile strikes against each other targeting 'terror units'. Iran carried out missile and drone strikes in Pakistan on the late night of January 16, to destroy two "important headquarters" of Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice). Islamabad alleged that the strikes killed two children and injured three girls, Al Arabiya News reported, citing Tasnim News Agency. Pakistan withdrew its ambassador from Iran on January 17 and announced that it would not allow the Iranian envoy visiting his home country at that time to return to protest a "blatant breach" of its sovereignty. The next day, on January 18, Pakistan launched strikes inside Iran in a retaliatory attack. Islamabad said it targeted the hideouts used by 'terrorist militant organizations,' namely the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF). However, later, both countries agreed on the return of ambassadors of both countries to their respective posts and also decided to mutually work for 'de-escalation' of tensions, Geo News reported. (ANI)
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