TEHRAN
\nThree members of Iran\u2019s security forces were killed in clashes with gunmen on Saturday, state media reported, in a region plagued by violence involving armed groups including drug traffickers and separatists. State television initially said four gunmen were also killed during the operation against \u201cterrorists\u201d in Iran\u2019s southeast.
\nBut Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the military, later updated the toll to five gunmen dead, in a statement carried by state TV. State television, which did not specify if the gunmen were affiliated with any organization, said they were planning a \u201cterrorist operation\u201d in the city of Saravan, which lies more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from the capital Tehran.
\nIranian forces also seized \u201cweapons, ammunition and explosives,\u201d the statement added.
\nThe operation took place in Sistan-Baluchistan province, one of Iran\u2019s poorest regions that borders Pakistan and Afghanistan. Security forces regularly clash with armed groups in the area.
\nOn Tuesday, a commander in Iran\u2019s Basij paramilitary force, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, was killed in an attack in Sistan-Baluchistan. The region is home to a large Baloch ethnic minority, who practice Sunni Islam in Shia-majority Iran.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TEHRAN Three members of Iran\u2019s security forces were killed in clashes with gunmen on Saturday, state media reported, in a region plagued by violence involving armed groups including drug traffickers and separatists. State television initially said four gunmen were also killed during the operation against \u201cterrorists\u201d in Iran\u2019s southeast. But Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards, the ideological […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":567145,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-567136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n