Iranian Sunni cleric says government asked for help to free soldiers
Iran's most prominent Sunni cleric spoke by phone to Al-Monitor about his role in the release of the border guards kidnapped by Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl and the state of Sunnis in Iran.
After nearly two months in captivity, four Iranian soldiers were released April 4 by the militant Islamist group Jaish al-Adl.
The news was a surprise to the many who had followed their story. The guards were captured in February on the Iran-Pakistan border while sleeping in a tent. Iranian and Pakistani authorities have traded accusations of negligence ever since the kidnapping.
On March 24, the Sunni Baluch terrorist group claimed to have killed one of the hostages because Iran had refused to release hundreds of prisoners. His body has not yet been returned, nor has an image of his body been shown. The group, which claims to be fighting for Sunni and Baluch rights in Iran, first became known in October 2013, when they killed 14 Iranian border guards in an ambush.
The release of the soldiers was handled at the local level. The governor of Sistan and Baluchistan province, Ali Osat-Hashemi, thanked regional clerics and village elders specifically for securing their release.
