Pakistan says two children killed after Iran attacks militant bases in Baluchistan

Pakistan said neighbouring Iran has breached its airspace resulting in the death of two children, hours after Iranian state media said missiles hit two bases of militant group Jaish Al Adl on Tuesday.

Pakistan warned that the incident could have “serious consequences” and was “completely unacceptable”, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said early on Wednesday.

Its did not say where the strike took place, but Pakistan and Iran share a sparsely populated border of nearly 1,000km, and Iran often says militants operate from its neighbour's territory to launch attacks.

Jaish Al Adl has previously mounted attacks on Iranian security forces in the border area with Pakistan.

“These bases were hit and destroyed by missiles and drones,” Iranian state media reported earlier, without elaborating.

Iran's Nournews, affiliated with the country's top security body, said the attacked bases were in Pakistan's Baluchistan province.

Baluchistan has had a low-level insurgency by Baluch nationalists for more than two decades.

Baluch nationalists initially wanted a share of provincial resources, but later initiated an insurgency for independence.

Meanwhile, militants entering from Iran have attacked Pakistani security forces.

In April 2023, a militant attack from across the border with Iran killed four Pakistani soldiers in Baluchistan province.

“The responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran,” Pakistan's statement said, adding that the incident had occurred despite several channels of communication with Iran.

Pakistan said it lodged a protest with Tehran and the head of the Iranian mission in Islamabad had been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The attack came as Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

What the men discussed was not immediately clear.

On Monday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked targets in Iraq and Syria with missiles.

Iraq on Tuesday called the attacks, which killed several civilians, a “blatant violation” of Iraq's sovereignty and recalled its ambassador from Tehran.