30 Operations, Hundreds Dead in Baluchistan in One Year

In March 2010, when a smiling Heydar Moslehi, Iran’s intelligence minister, described the Jondollah Leader Abdolmalk Rigi’s arrest as his ministry’s most valuable operation and wrote a letter of congratulations to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the conservative media insisted that Rigi’s arrest and execution meant the end for the activities of armed groups in the region.

Thirty months later, however, it is clear that the old wound in Sistan Baluchistan Province is festering. The attack itself resulted in the death of 14 military personnel (12 conscripts and two officers) and the injury of six, and led the Judiciary to retaliate by executing 16 men, including several Jaish Al-Adl members, demonstrating that the regions trouble's endure.

The Iranian government has been embroiled in confrontation with opposition groups in the province of Sistan Baluchistan for the past 34 years. The majority of Iranians in the province are ethnic Baluchis and religiously Sunni, and have had long-standing grievances against the central government's discriminatory policies against such minority citizens. They have petitioned the government in Tehran for more tolerance of Sunni Iranians, and greater political, cultural, and economic rights. Their struggles have not been confined to political grievances, and in response to what many of these groups as the government's violent put down of their opposition, a number have formed armed groups who are engaged now in violent actions against local authorities.

A number of groups have advocated independence for the province and a proposed merger with Pakistan's Baluchistan province, and perhaps even the creation of a Baluch state independent of both governments. Some groups have also been involved in drug smuggling, together with local residents and agents of local authorities.

The leader of Jaish al-Adl, which calls itself the “Army of Justice and Equality” and is the region's largest Sunni combatant group, is Salaheddin Faroughi, whose real name is Abdolrahim Mollazadeh, according to Iranian media. Authorities previously detained and executed Faroughi’s brother on charges of involvement in the assassination of Molavi Mostafa Jangizehi, head of the Basij base in the town of Sarbaz on January 19, 2012.

On April 10, 2012, authorities arrested Molavi Naghshbandi, a Sunni leader, and 11 others on charges of carrying out the assassination.  The arrests led to a wave of protests that resulted in one death and several injuries.

Abdolrahim Mollazadeh, a.k.a. Salaheddin Faroughi, fled Iran after this incident and went to Pakistan, where he established Jaish al-Adl.

Some media outlets have reported that he is related to Molavi Abdolhamid Esmailzehi, a moderate Sunni cleric and the Friday Imam of Zahedan. After the armed confrontation, Molavi Abdolhamid condemned the murder of the border guards, calling it a “cowardly act” by “deceived enemy agents.”

Mollazadeh, who was previously a member of Jondollah, became the leader of Jaish al-Adl in April 2012 and the group’s spokesperson is Mohsen Mohammadi.

Compared to Jondollah, Jaish al-Adl has a more organized and orderly presence in cyberspace and satellite networks. In terms of its organization, the group has three identified military branches, “the Abdolmalek Mollazadeh Military Group,” the “Sheikh Ziai Military Group,” and the “Molavi Nematollah Tohidi Military Group.”

The intelligence branch of Zabir Esmailzehi is also active side by side of the three groups.  Zabir Esmailzehi is the name of the Nematollah Tohidi Military Group commander who was killed during a military operation.

Over the past few days, the Jaish al-Adl's Facebook page released images of a group of children and adolescents in military training belonging to the group, referring to them as “future warriors.” It is worth mentioning that the children’s images were published without any security coverage.

The group’s Facebook page also features a large number of video clips of their armed operations. The group’s recent attack was neither its first nor most important operation during recent years. In August 2012 the group’s three armed branches undertook widespread operations and claimed they had killed dozens of Revolutionary Guards forces. Four Jaish al-Adl members were also killed during the attacks.

In October 2012 Jaish al-Adl claimed that in “a successful operation,” it had killed 10 members of the IRGC forces, and on November 3, 2012, their assassination attempt on an Intelligence Ministry force failed. On November 13, 2012, the group’s intelligence branch arrested and executed Anvar (Alireza) Notizehi, a man said to be an informant for the Iranian government. On December 10, 2012 Jaish al-Adl claimed another “successful operation” in which nine security and IRGC forces were killed. On December 13, 2012, Jaish al-Adl planted a roadside bomb which blew up an IRGC vehicle, killing several men. Remote detonation is the centerpiece of Jaish al-Adl’s activities. On that same day, there was another vehicle explosion and several IRGC forces were killed. Exact statistics of the casualties were not announced.

One day later military battalions related to Jaish al-Adl carried out an ambush operation and blew up two more vehicles, leading to the deaths of several IRGC members. The operation was repeated on December 23, 2012.

On January 6 they assassinated a Basij commander and an IRGC member from the Raees Abad Vilage outside the town of Sarbaz. On January 25 they carried out another roadside operation during which an IRGC vehicle was exploded and its passengers were killed.

On February 26, Jaish al-Adl announced that “children of faith and legend in the military battalion of Martyr Molavi Abdolmalekzadeh killed four IRGC forces and severely injured three others by destroying a vehicle belonging to Mersad forces.”

They condemned the killing of Sardar Taj Mohammad, son of Sardar Khalil Khan, a prominent tribal figure in Baluchistan on February 27, attributing it to the IRGC and Iran’s Intelligence Ministry. The same day, Jaish al-Adl issued a statement to announce that “the courageous men of the Shahid Ziaei Military Battalion” were able to plant a mine which blew up a vehicle carrying IRGC forces, killing and injuring several IRGC forces.

In a similar operation on March 10, several other IRGC members were killed by the Shahid Sheikh Ziaei Military Battalion, affiliated with Jaish-al-Adl.

On March 25, the Shahid Molavi Abdolmalek Mollazadeh Military Batallion affiliated with the organization carried out a similar operation against three IRGC vehicles leading to several other IRGC deaths. In a Marh 27 statement, Jaish al-Adl announced again, “Islam devotees have targeted a vehicle carrying members of the regime’s IRGC on Hamzeh Street. Several criminal IRGC members were killed during this attack and several others were injured.”

The Jaish al-Adl carried out other operations in Saravan on April 27 and extending their operations’ territory, on May 8 they carried out two other operations near the city of Bam. On July 4 Jaish al-Adl reported its most extensive attacks, targeting the Kouhak Saravan military base. The reason for the attack was described as, “an answer to the ruthless Khomeinist regime’s crimes against the oppressed beleaguered people of Syria.”

“During a detonation operation in Saravan’s Keshtegan region, an IRGC engineer and officer and five other IRGC forces were killed,” said a new July 6 statement.

The Iranian authorities swiftly retaliated by shooting rockets into the Zemaran border region in Pakistani soil on July 7. The attack suspended Jaish al-Adl movements for a short time. However Jaish al-Adl announced on August 21 that “in an ambush operation, head of Basij and Quds Force overseas agent Shahmir Raeesi” had been assassinated.

A fresh round of attacks was resumed on September 3. Jaish al-Adl reported that during an ambush operation in the town of Sarbaz, the Shahid Molavi Abdolmalek Mollazadeh military battalion targeted a police patrol group “who were well-known criminals in the region and did nothing but to mistreat and abuse people,” killing and injuring several of them.

On September 20, Jaish al-Adl issued another statement, expressing abhorrence at the murder of Molavi Mohammad (Esmail) Ghalandarzehi, a prominent figure close to the organization, and promised revenge. A more important statement was issued on September 23, saying “Haji Nematollah Esmailzehi, one of the most significant and courageous sons of Iran’s Sunni population and a commander of Jaish al-Adl Organization, was martyred during a terrorist operation in exile near Panjgur District in Pakistan.”

Jaish al-Adl engaged in another armed operation on September 27 and issued a statement. “During an ambush operation using remote control bombs, a vehicle belonging to Mersad forces was completely destroyed so that all vehicle passengers were sent to hell. This vehicle belonged to the Mersad patrol forces who are known to mistreat and abuse people and two days ago, they fired shots at fuel-carrying vehicles, severely injuring two Baluchi youths,” said the statement.

A similar operation was carried out around Sarbaz town on October 6, where the “vehicle belonging to Kalat Police Station forces” was blown up and its passengers were killed.

Jaish al-Adl’s most important attack of the entire year was organized on October 12. “The Shahid Molavi Nematollah Tohidi Battalion succeeded in carrying out a deception operation, forcing the regime forces to react. The police station’s vehicle, carrying several forces from the station, started pursuing the combatants and was caught in a pre-planned ambush operation and all the vehicle passengers were killed. In other ambush operations, the combatant forces succeeded in attacking the station with light and heavy weapons and targeting the station by shooting Dushka weapons, Type-82 [Tactical Assault] Cannon, and light weapons. More than 10 regime forces were killed in this operation...the militia forces state the regime forces’ casualties at more than 30,” a statement by the organization described the operation.

The organization assumed responsibility for the Saravan attack and the 14 casualties on October 26 and reacting to the Judiciary’s execution of the 16 men, issued a statement saying, “we congratulate the families of the 16 brave men and combatants on the executions and ask [God] for high ranks for them and state that we will soon seek revenge for these young men.”

On that same day and on October 27, Jaish al-Adl issued two separate statements. “In a complex intelligence operation, a regime spy by the name of Reza Dogooki, son of Goharam Dogooki, was arrested in a border region and punished him for his shameful acts...in an intelligence operation, an infamous Baluchistan Basij member and a major operative of the Intelligence Ministry by the name of Pir Mohammad Shahnavazi, along with another mercenary by the name of Es’hagh Daneshvar were arrested,” said the statements.

A summary of Jaish al-Adl Organization’s claims indicate that between September 2012 and September 2013, the group has been able to carry out more than 30 arrests, explosions, and assassination operations. Though exact statistics for some of these operations have not been announced, in view of the statements and related news published about the events, between 100 to 150 members of IRGC, Basij, the Intelligence Ministry, and the Iranian police have been killed in the attacks. During the same time, at least by Jaish al-Adl’s admission, 20 commanders and member of the organization have been killed.