Five killed in clash between IRGC forces and kidnapping team in Zahedan

The Quds Base of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force announced that five members of a kidnapping team were killed and one IRGC serviceman was martyred during a clash in the Kourin area of Zahedan, in Iran's southern Sistan and Baluchestan province. According to the statement, the kidnapping team had abducted a construction project engineer in western Zahedan on Monday and intended to transfer him to a neighboring country.

Following the kidnapping, IRGC Ground Force personnel from the Quds Base used intelligence capabilities to locate the team's hideout in Kourin and launched a surprise operation against its members. During the operation, five members of the kidnapping team were killed and the abducted engineer was freed. One IRGC serviceman was martyred in the clashes, the statement added.

The operation took place in the Kourin area of Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, according to the IRGC statement. The statement described the kidnapping team as a terrorist element. The IRGC did not provide further details about the identities of the killed individuals or the condition of the freed engineer.

Sistan and Baluchestan province, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has seen periodic clashes between Iranian security forces and armed groups. The IRGC's Quds Base is responsible for security operations in the region. The statement did not specify the exact date of the operation beyond saying the kidnapping occurred on Monday.

According to Mehr News, the IRGC Ground Force's Quds Base announced the operation in a statement, adding that the kidnapping team had planned to transfer the abducted engineer to a neighboring country. The report did not name the engineer or the killed individuals.