At least five killed in militant attack on Iranian police

Sunni militants attacked two police cars in southeast Iran on Tuesday, killing at least five police officers and wounding one, Iranian state TV reported.

The Jaish Al-Adl group claimed the attack, which took place in Sistan-Baluchestan province a few days after it assaulted two Revolutionary Guards’ headquarters in the same region and killed 11 security personnel.

Semi-official Tasnim news agency said the police officers were on their way back from transporting a suspect in the killing of a police officer who was shot last month during a drug busting mission.

Jaish Al-Adl says it seeks greater rights and better living conditions for ethnic minority Baluchis in Shiite-dominated Iran. It has claimed responsibility for several attacks in recent years on Iranian security forces in Sistan-Baluchestan.

The area, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan, has long been the site of frequent clashes between Iranian security forces and Sunni militants as well as drug traffickers.

Iran is a key transit route for narcotics smuggled from Afghanistan to the West and elsewhere.