| Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar | |
|---|---|
| Part of the 2024 Iran–Pakistan border skirmishes and insurgency in Balochistan | |
  Saravan | |
| Type | Air strikes and missile strikes |
| Location | Saravan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran 27°22′15″N 62°19′57″E / 27.37083°N 62.33250°E |
| Planned by |  Pakistan |
| Target |  BLA and BLF militant groups |
| Date | 18 January 2024 04:05 IRST[1] (UTC+03:30) |
| Executed by |  Pakistan Armed Forces |
| Casualties | 9 people killed,[2] several injured |
On 18 January 2024, Pakistan launched a series of air and artillery strikes inside Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province, targeting Baloch separatist groups, codenamed Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar (Urdu: آپریشن مرگ بر سرمچار, lit. 'Death to Insurgents'[a]) by Pakistan. The attack was launched in response to the Iranian missile strikes in Pakistan's Balochistan province, one day earlier.[5][2]
Iran said that nine foreign nationals were killed in the attack. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) confirmed that its members were among those killed.[6][7]
This attack marked the first known instance of a foreign country launching an attack on Iranian soil since the end of the Iran–Iraq War in 1988.[8]
- ^ "Seven killed in Pakistan attack on southeastern Iran". Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Pakistan launches retaliatory airstrikes in Iran after an earlier attack by Tehran, killing 9 people". Associated Press. 18 January 2024. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
The Baluch Liberation Army, an ethnic separatist group that's operated in the region since 2000, said in a statement the strikes targeted and killed its people
- ^ Azaz, Syed. "Pakistan carries out military strikes on separatist targets in Iran following deadly attack on its own soil by Tehran". CNN. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Pakistan launches retaliatory airstrikes on Iran after Tehran attack". NPR. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ Masood, Salman (18 January 2024). "Pakistan Retaliates With Strikes Inside Iran as Tensions Spill Over". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Pakistan Launches Retaliatory Airstrikes in Iran After an Earlier Attack by Tehran, Killing 9 People". US News. 18 January 2024. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Pakistan Unleashes Retaliatory Strikes in Iran, Killing Nine". The Daily Beast. 18 January 2024. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
The Baluch Liberation Army, an ethnic separatist group, said the strikes had killed its members. "Pakistan will have to pay a price for it," the organization said
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ajlivewas invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).