What is behind Iran-Pakistan border escalation, the worst in decades?
Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province, located on the border with Pakistan, has long been plagued by poverty, protests and militant activity.
The tensions between Iran and Pakistan spiked to a level unseen in three decades on Thursday when the Pakistani military conducted strikes inside Iran against what it said were “terrorist” targets.
The strikes constitute the first time a neighboring country has carried out a public attack inside Iran since the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. While the form of escalation is rare, the trouble along the Iranian-Pakistani border and surrounding regions is not new. Here is a look at the roots of the unrest:
What happened?
The current escalation began on Tuesday when Iran struck what it said were Jaish al-Adl targets inside Pakistan’s Baluchistan province. The Pakistani government condemned the strike, saying two children were killed.
