Released Iranian border guards could face discipline

An Iranian lawmaker has said the four Iranian border guards recently released by a terrorist group should be disciplined.

“I believe the four soldiers freed from the terrorist group Jaish al-Adl should be confronted for violations and failure to do their duties,” said Ismail Kowsari, a Tehran parliamentarian and Defense Committee chair. “The punishment is so that during their service, these violations are not repeated.”

In February, five guards on the mountainous Iran-Pakistan border were kidnapped. The video released by Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni Baluch Islamist group, showed that all of the border guards were sleeping when their tent was overrun.

Of the five guards kidnapped, one, Jamshid Danaeifar, was reportedly killed. However, his body has not been returned and the announcement of of his killing on the the Jaish al-Adl website has been taken down. He was the only regular army serviceman of the group. The other four are conscripts. Military service is mandatory for Iranian men.