Iranian media hail Tehran-Islamabad joint 'rapid reaction force'
During a visit by Pakistan's prime minister to Iran, the two countries moved closer toward forming a joint rapid reaction force to combat border insecurity, a plan welcomed by Iranian media as a key achievement in bilateral ties.
"Iran and Pakistan will form a rapid reaction force to fight terrorism on their shared border," President Hassan Rouhani announced at a presser in Tehran following closed-door talks with visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan April 22.
"We are glad the Pakistani side has branded as terrorists the militant groups that conduct inhumane activities in this area," Rouhani added. In the same press conference, Khan told reporters that Pakistan's political elite had recognized the fact that their country's soil should not be allowed to be used for terror attacks against neighbors.
Over the past decades, the issue of cross-border militancy has never ceased to be a thorn in the side of Iran-Pakistan ties. Tehran has been enraged by what it views as Islamabad's failure to oust Sunni extremists whose deadly hit-and-run attacks have targeted Iranian border guards as well as civilians. Most recently, at least 40 soldiers serving with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed after their bus was torn apart by a massive car bomb near the southeastern port city of Chabahar.
While Tehran has been exhausting diplomacy to resolve security tensions, calls have grown particularly from within the IRGC for a cross-border incursion into Pakistan to eradicate the militants. The Islamic Republic alleges that regional foes Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are funding and training the radical groups.
