Alwaght- Five of the 12 Iranian forces, who were kidnapped last month by Pakistan-based terrorists, have been freed, Major General Ali Jafari, the chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), said Thursday.
The IRGC chief said that the freed forces are now in Pakistan and will soon return home, and that attempts are underway to release the remaining captives, Press TV reported.
The 12 forces were kidnapped in mid-October by elements of al-Qaeda-affiliated Jaish ul-Adl terrorist group near the town of Mirjaveh in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, and then spirited away into neighboring Pakistan.
A new footage has been released that shows 12 abducted border guards imprisoned by terrorists.
The video, obtained and released by the Iranian border police force, shows the 12 abductees saying their names. It is not clear where or when the video has been recorded, Tasnim News Agency reported.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday pointed to his recent visit to Pakistan in order to help release the Iranian border guards and said the Pakistani officials have promised to step up their efforts to secure the release of the abducted border guards.
Iranian military forces along the southeastern border areas have been several times attacked by terrorist groups coming from Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Tehran has frequently asked the two neighbors to step up security at the common border to prevent terrorist attacks on Iranian forces.
