Iran Strikes Jaish-al-Adl Terror Camps Near Pakistan Border in Sistan-Baluchestan as Cross-Border Tensions Escalate Amid US War
Iranian security forces have carried out targeted strikes against Jaish-al-Adl, a Sunni militant group, after members of the organisation infiltrated from Pakistan into the Rask region of Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan Province. According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, several militants were killed in the operation, which involved ground forces and intelligence-led targeting. The strikes come at a particularly sensitive time, as Pakistan positions itself as a mediator in the broader US-Iran conflict while simultaneously dealing with accusations from Tehran that militants operating from Pakistani territory continue to threaten Iranian security.
The Operation in Rask
Iranian authorities reported that an “operational cell” of Jaish-al-Adl — which Tehran refers to derogatorily as Jaish-al-Zulm (“Army of Oppression”) — was dismantled after the group’s members crossed the border into the sparsely populated Rask region. The operation was conducted by Iran’s border security forces, supported by intelligence from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Details of the operation remain limited, as is typical of Iranian military communications in the border region. The Tasnim report stated that “several terrorists were killed” and that weapons, communication devices, and supplies were seized. No Iranian casualties were reported, though independent verification of these claims is difficult given the remote and restricted nature of the area.
Rask is located in the southern part of Sistan-Baluchestan, one of Iran’s most restive provinces. The province shares a long and porous border with Pakistan’s Balochistan Province, and the ethnic Baluch population on both sides has long harboured grievances against their respective central governments. This ethnic and geographic reality makes the border region a persistent source of cross-border militant activity.
Who Is Jaish-al-Adl?
Jaish-al-Adl, meaning “Army of Justice,” is a Sunni militant organisation that has been active along the Iran-Pakistan border since at least 2012. It is widely considered the successor to Jundallah, an earlier militant group that carried out deadly attacks against Iranian security forces and civilians before its leader, Abdolmalek Rigi, was captured and executed in 2010.
The group’s stated objectives include fighting for the rights of Iran’s Sunni Baluch minority, whom it accuses the Shia-led government in Tehran of systematically marginalising. However, its methods — which include kidnappings, bombings, and targeted killings of security personnel — have drawn condemnation from both Iran and the international community.
In July 2025, Jaish-al-Adl claimed responsibility for an attack on a courthouse in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan, that killed six civilians. The group has also targeted border patrols, pipelines, and government buildings in numerous operations over the years. Iran has repeatedly accused Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of providing tacit support to the group — an allegation that Islamabad categorically denies.
The Pakistan Dimension
The latest strikes add another layer of complexity to an already fraught Iran-Pakistan relationship. In January 2024, Iran launched missile and drone strikes into Pakistan’s Balochistan Province, targeting what it said were Jaish-al-Adl bases. Pakistan retaliated with its own strikes on alleged militant hideouts inside Iran — an unprecedented military exchange between the two neighbours that briefly raised fears of a broader conflict before diplomats managed to de-escalate the situation.
The current operation, while conducted on Iranian soil, carries implicit signals aimed at Islamabad. By publicising the destruction of a cell that “infiltrated from across the Pakistani border,” Tehran is reminding Pakistan that it holds Islamabad responsible for failing to curb militant activity on its side of the border.
This message is particularly pointed because Pakistan is currently trying to position itself as a peace broker in the US-Iran military standoff. Iran’s Foreign Minister has travelled to Islamabad for talks, and Pakistan has sought to leverage its relationships with both Washington and Tehran to facilitate dialogue. However, the continuing cross-border militant issue undermines Pakistan’s credibility as a neutral mediator in Iran’s eyes.
Impact on Regional Security
The Sistan-Baluchestan border region has become one of the most volatile flashpoints in South and West Asia. The confluence of ethnic tensions, militant activity, drug smuggling routes, and the broader US-Iran conflict has created a complex security environment that affects not just Iran and Pakistan but the entire region.
India, which shares strategic interests with both Iran (through the Chabahar port project) and Pakistan (as a neighbour with whom it maintains a tense but functional relationship), watches these developments closely. The Chabahar port, located in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, is India’s key access point to Afghanistan and Central Asia, and any instability in the region directly threatens this strategic corridor. The broader pattern of health and security crises affecting South Asia underscores the interconnected nature of regional challenges.
Defence analysts have also noted that Iran’s military capacity is being stretched across multiple fronts. The country is simultaneously engaged in a conflict with the United States, managing internal security threats from groups like Jaish-al-Adl, and dealing with the legacy of nuclear and strategic risk in global security. Each of these fronts demands resources and attention, creating vulnerabilities that militant groups may seek to exploit.
What Comes Next
The immediate outlook suggests that cross-border tensions will persist. Iran has shown no inclination to ease its military operations against Jaish-al-Adl, and the group has shown resilience despite repeated crackdowns. Pakistan faces the unenviable task of managing its border while simultaneously pursuing diplomatic channels with Tehran.
For the broader region, the Sistan-Baluchestan situation is a reminder that while the world’s attention is focused on the large-scale international affairs of the US-Iran conflict, there are numerous smaller but equally dangerous conflicts simmering along the edges. The coming weeks will determine whether diplomacy can defuse these tensions or whether further military action — potentially escalating to cross-border strikes — becomes the default response.
As security and conflict developments continue to shape the geopolitical landscape, the Jaish-al-Adl threat remains a critical and often underreported dimension of the broader instability in West and South Asia.
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