A number of Iranian security personnel were kidnapped near the border with Pakistan late on Monday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said in a statement, calling on the Islamabad government to confront the militants responsible for the "terrorist" incident.
Those who were kidnapped in Mirjaveh County in Sistan-Baluchestan Province include border guards and local members of the Basij volunteer force, a part of the IRGC, read the statement, which was issued on Tuesday.
The IRGC did not mention the number of abductees, but IRNA quoted an unnamed "informed" source as saying that 14 people were kidnapped on Tuesday around 4-5 a.m. in the Lulakdan area of the border, 50 kilometers from the city of Mirjaveh. Fars News Agency put the number of abductees at 11.
>Claim of Responsibility
Ebrahim Azizi, spokesman of the so-called Jaish al-Adl or the Army of Justice, which is a militant group, said it had seized 10 people.
"This morning Jaish al-Adl forces attacked a border post in Mirjaveh and captured all their weapons," Azizi said in an audio message sent to Reuters on Tuesday.
He said the attack was in retaliation for what he claimed as the Iranian government's mistreatment of people in Sistan-Baluchestan, a Sunni-majority province that has a long history of unrest by separatist militants. Iranian authorities deny discriminating against ethnic or religious minorities.
Reuters said it received the audio message through an activist in the region, but was unable to verify it.
ISNA reported that the kidnapped security forces were transferred to Pakistan. Media reports are also speculating that they had been fed poisonous food prior to their transfer into Pakistan.
>Foreign-Led Terrorists
The IRGC said the incident was carried out by "members of terrorist groups who are led and backed by foreign services" by "deceiving and luring infiltrators." It did not name a specific group as a suspect in the abduction.
The statement added that the country's security forces are preparing to carry out an operation to find the perpetrators of the attack and secure the release of the security personnel.
"We expect Pakistan to confront these terrorist groups that are supported by reactionary regional states that have become breeding grounds for terrorists and take action to help release and return the kidnapped border guards immediately," the IRGC said.
It did not mention any country by name, but Iran has in the past accused Saudi Arabia of funding separatist groups in the country. Riyadh has denied any involvement in Iran's internal affairs.
>Safe Haven
Iran says militant groups have safe havens in Pakistan and warned that it would take action against them if Islamabad does not act.
In September, IRGC forces killed four militants at a border crossing with Pakistan, including the second-in-command of Jaish al-Adl.
Earlier this year, an Iranian border guard, who had been kidnapped by terrorists during an attack claimed by Jaish al-Adl last year, was freed.
Saeed Barati had been taken captive during a cross-border attack by militants on the frontier with Pakistan on April 26, 2017, in which several Iranian border guards of Mirjaveh County were killed.
