logo
Terrorists kill policeman in southeast Iran

Terrorists kill policeman in southeast Iran

Sistan-Balochistan has been the site of frequent clashes between security forces and insurgents. (EPA Images pic)
TEHRAN : Extremists killed one policeman in Iran's restive southeastern province of Sistan-Balochistan, Iranian media reported today, adding that three assailants also died.
'A policeman from Saravan was killed while terrorists were trying to enter the police station' in that area of Sistan-Balochistan, the Tasnim news agency said.
The attackers were members of the Sunni extremist group Jaish al-Adl ('Army of Justice' in Arabic) based in Pakistan and active in Iran's southeast, the agency said.
'Three terrorists were killed and two were arrested,' Tasnim said.
Sistan-Balochistan, which shares a long border with Pakistan and Afghanistan, has been the site of frequent clashes between security forces and insurgents or smugglers.
The province hosts a significant population from the Baloch ethnic minority, which practises Sunni Islam in Shi'ite-majority Iran.
On July 26, gunmen stormed a courthouse in the province's capital Zahedan, killing at least six people, in an attack that was later claimed by Jaish al-Adl.
In one of the deadliest attacks in the province, 10 police officers were killed in October.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Hezbollah accuses Beirut of serving Israel with plan to disarm group, vows to fight on
Hezbollah accuses Beirut of serving Israel with plan to disarm group, vows to fight on

Malay Mail

time11 hours ago

  • Malay Mail

Hezbollah accuses Beirut of serving Israel with plan to disarm group, vows to fight on

BEIRUT, Aug 15 — Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Friday accused Lebanon's government of 'handing' the country to Israel by pushing for the group's disarmament, warning it would fight to keep its weapons. Qassem spoke in a televised address after meeting Iran's top security chief Ali Larijani, whose country has long backed the Lebanese militant group. Hezbollah emerged badly weakened from last year's war with Israel, and under US pressure the Lebanese government has ordered the army to devise a plan to disarm the group by the end of the year. Iran, whose so-called 'axis of resistance' includes Hezbollah, has also suffered a series of setbacks, most recently in the war with Israel that saw the United States strike its nuclear sites. 'The government is implementing an American-Israeli order to end the resistance, even if it leads to civil war and internal strife,' Qassem said. 'The resistance will not surrender its weapons while aggression continues, occupation persists, and we will fight it... if necessary to confront this American-Israeli project no matter the cost,' he said. Qassem urged the government 'not to hand over the country to an insatiable Israeli aggressor or an American tyrant with limitless greed'. He also said the government would 'bear responsibility for any internal explosion and any destruction of Lebanon', accusing it of 'leading the country to ruin'. Hezbollah and its ally Amal would not be organising any street protests at this time, he said, while threatening to do so in future. Before the war with Israel, Hezbollah was believed to be better armed than the Lebanese military. It long maintained it had to keep its arsenal in order to defend Lebanon from attack, but critics accused it of using its weapons for political leverage. Iran's Supreme National Security Council chief Larijani was in Beirut this week, where he met Qassem as well as with President Joseph Aoun. Iran has expressed its opposition to the government's disarmament plan, and has vowed to continue to provide support. Aoun told Larijani that he rejected any interference in the country's internal affairs, branding as 'unconstructive' Iran's statements on plans to disarm Hezbollah. — AFP

Indonesia's Prabowo hails 5pc growth, defends free school meals in first state address
Indonesia's Prabowo hails 5pc growth, defends free school meals in first state address

Malay Mail

time12 hours ago

  • Malay Mail

Indonesia's Prabowo hails 5pc growth, defends free school meals in first state address

JAKARTA, Aug 15 — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto emphasised an expectation-defying economy, low unemployment rate and slew of ambitious social welfare initiatives as he delivered his first state address to parliament on Friday. The ex-special forces commander took office in October after a campaign to rehabilitate an image tainted by allegations of rights abuses committed during the Suharto dictatorship in the late 1990s. The 73-year-old populist leader has pledged fast, state-driven growth to transform South-east Asia's largest country into a major global powerhouse. But his hallmark schemes, including a free school meal programme to address childhood stunting, have strained state coffers, stoked investor fears and triggered student protests. In his speech, Prabowo defended his social policies and pointed to positive second-quarter economic results after his government set an ambitious goal of eight percent growth. 'Amid political conflict, global economic conflict, (and the US) trade war... Indonesia still managed to grow above five percent,' he told parliament. After US President Donald Trump threatened Indonesia with a heavy tariff rate of 32 per cent in April, Prabowo negotiated a lower levy of 19 per cent in return for bringing down trade barriers for American goods. Last week, the statistics agency showed Q2 growth had accelerated to 5.12 per cent, beating forecasts and up from 4.87 per cent the previous quarter. He also pointed to the unemployment rate, which has dropped to its lowest since the Asian financial crisis. On his social welfare agenda, Prabowo shrugged off criticism of the billion-dollar free lunch programme for schoolkids and pregnant mothers, touting its reach of 20 million people. 'Our goal... is to be free from poverty, free from hunger, free from suffering,' he said. He faced protests across Indonesia in February for widespread cuts to fund the scheme — which has been dogged by reported delays and food poisonings — as well as a new sovereign wealth fund. Prabowo succeeded the popular Joko Widodo last year in a third attempt at the presidency after a campaign in which he pledged policy continuity. Prabowo will also unveil the 2026 budget later on Friday, ahead of the archipelago nation's independence day on Sunday. — AFP

Iran enlists China, Russia to block looming European sanctions snapback
Iran enlists China, Russia to block looming European sanctions snapback

Malay Mail

time14 hours ago

  • Malay Mail

Iran enlists China, Russia to block looming European sanctions snapback

TEHRAN, Aug 15 — Iran said Thursday it was working with China and Russia to prevent the snapback of European sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme after Britain, France and Germany threatened to reimpose them. 'We will try to prevent it,' Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said in an interview with state TV. 'We are working with China and Russia to stop it. If this does not work and they apply it, we have tools to respond. We will discuss them in due course.' The trio of European powers, known as the E3, told the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday that they were ready to reimpose sanctions on Tehran if no diplomatic solution was found by the end of August. All three were signatories to a 2015 deal that lifted sanctions in return for curbs on Iran's nuclear programme. The agreement, which terminates in October, includes a 'snapback mechanism' allowing sanctions to be restored. 'We have made clear that if Iran is not willing to reach a diplomatic solution before the end of August 2025, or does not seize the opportunity of an extension, E3 are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism,' the group's foreign ministers said in the letter. 'If Iran continues to violate its international obligations, France and its German and British partners will reimpose the global embargoes on arms, nuclear equipment and banking restrictions that were lifted 10 years ago at the end of August,' French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot posted on X on Wednesday. Araghchi said the return of sanctions would be 'negative' but that the predicted economic effects 'have been exaggerated'. 'Legally justified' The 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, effectively collapsed after US President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018 during his first term and restored crippling sanctions. European countries attempted to keep the deal alive, while Iran initially stuck to the terms before later ramping up its uranium enrichment. Earlier this year, the United States joined Israel in bombing Iran's nuclear facilities. Israel launched its attacks while Washington and Tehran were still pursuing nuclear talks, which have not since resumed. Western powers have long accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, a charge the Iranian government strongly denies. Even before Israel attacked Iran, they had raised concerns about the lack of access given to inspectors from the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran halted all cooperation with the IAEA after the strikes. Last month, Araghchi sent a letter to the UN saying the European countries did not have the legal right to restore sanctions. The European ministers called the claim 'unfounded'. They insisted that, as JCPOA signatories, they would be 'clearly and unambiguously legally justified in using relevant provisions' of UN resolutions 'to trigger UN snapback to reinstate UNSC resolutions against Iran which would prohibit enrichment and re-impose UN sanctions.' — AFP

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store