Iranian border guards killed in clashes near Pakistan frontier

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armed men killed at least 18 Iranian border guards on the country's southeastern frontier with Pakistan, Al Jazeera said, citing Iran's state TV.

The country’s state-run news agency IRNA reported another death toll, saying that 17 guards were killed but gave no more detail on the identity of the armed group. IRNA said authorities are investigating to determine whether the attackers were drug smugglers or armed opposition groups, both of which have occasionally ambushed Iranian troops.

Al Jazeera said other sources were suggesting that the group Jaish Ul Adl, or 'Party of Justice', was responsible for the violence.

The area also has a history of unrest, with the mainly Sunni Muslim population complaining of discrimination at the hands of Iran's Shia Muslim authorities.

IRNA quoted an unnamed official saying the fighting took place in the southeast Sistan-Baluchistan province and the exact number of dead had not been confirmed. Some reports put the death toll at 14.