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]
Etymology
Marg Bar Sarmachar means "death to insurgents". Marg Bar means "death to" in the Persian language, commonly used in the Iranian slogan Marg Bar Amrika.
Sarmachar means "insurgents" or "guerrilla" in Balochi language; it is the term used by Baloch militants to identify its fighters.[9]
According to Pakistan, the attack was launched in retaliation for a missile strike carried out by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the border area of Pakistan's Balochistan province. The Iranian strike allegedly targeted the Jaish ul-Adl militant group on 16 January 2024, resulting in the deaths of two children and injuring four people, as reported by Pakistan.[10]
Attack
At 04:05 IRST (UTC+03:30), the Pakistani Air Force and Army launched an attack using drones, multiple rocket launchers, loitering munitions, and stand-off weapons at seven separate locations of Baloch separatist groups in the Iranian city of Saravan in Sistan and Baluchestan province.[11][12] Iran said that nine people were killed during the attack, including four children, three women, and two men, who were non-Iranians.[13]
Sources in the Pakistani military said that its aircraft and drones penetrated approximately 12 miles (20 km) into Iranian territory to target the militant hideouts.[14][15][16]
Aftermath
The Balochistan Liberation Army acknowledged the deaths of its people in the operation and vowed "revenge" against the Pakistani state.[17]
On 30 January, the BLA claimed responsibility for a rocket and gun attack on Pakistani security forces in Machh, Balochistan Province that left a police officer and six attackers dead and 15 security officers injured.[18]
Reactions
Pakistan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Pakistan "undertook a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts" that killed "a number of terrorists" in an operation codenamed "Marg Bar Sarmachar",[19] adding that the attacks were launched due to "lack of action" by Iran regarding the presence of "Pakistani origin terrorists" on its soil.[20] According to the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Public Relations, the targeted hideouts were being used by militants from the Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Baluch Liberation Front (BLF), including, among others, Dosta alias chairman, Bajjar alias Soghat, Sahil alias Shafaq, Asghar alias Basham, and Wazir alias Wazi.[21]
On 19 January Anwaar ul Haq Kakar announced that normal diplomatic relations with Iran had been restored, following a foreign ministry statement that said that there was agreement to de-escalate the conflict.[25]
Iran
The Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on its territory and summoned the Pakistani chargé d'affaires to provide an explanation about the incident.[26]
The Iranian government was heavily criticized on social media for its weak response against the attacks, its description of the dead as non-Iranians and initial downplaying of the incident.[27]
On 29 January, foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Pakistan as part of efforts to de-escalate tensions following the attacks.[28]
Other countries
Afghanistan: The Taliban called the attacks in Pakistan and Iran "alarming", calling for both sides to exercise restraint.[8]
China: The Government of China offered to mediate between Pakistan and Iran and hoped that both sides exercise calm and restraint and avoid an escalation of tensions.[29]
Russia: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concern over the "escalation of the situation in the Iran–Pakistan border area" and called on the two countries to "exercise maximum restraint and to resolve emerging issues exclusively through political and diplomatic means."[30]
Turkey: The Government of Turkey called for calm and recommended that the sides do not escalate further and that calm should be restored as soon as possible.[8]
European Union: The bloc expressed "utmost concern" over the Pakistani attack as well as the preceding Iranian attack, saying that "they violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries" and produce "a destabilising effect on the region."[32]
United Nations: Secretary-General António Guterres stated he was "deeply concerned about the recent exchange of military strikes" and called on both countries to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation of tensions.[33]
^'Marg bar' is a Persian term meaning 'death to'. 'Sarmachar' is a Balochi word that loosely translates to guerrilla fighter. The word refers to Baloch separatist insurgents operating in the cross-border region.[3][4]
^"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
