IRGC Quds Force Rejects Report on Abduction of Its Members in Southeastern Iran

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force rejected media reports claiming that Jeish al-Adl terrorist group has kidnapped 18 of its members in the city of Zahedan in Southeastern Iran.
“The report released by Jeish al-Adl terrorist group and al-Arabiya channel is not true at all and there has been no clashes in that area,” the IRGC Quds Force’s Public Relations Director Qassem Hassanzadeh was quoted as saying by Arman-e Kerman website on Monday.

Al-Arabiya claimed in a report on Sunday night that 18 Quds Force members had been abducted by Jeish al-Adl terrorist group in Nosratabad district, near Zahedan, the capital city of Sistan and Balouchestan province.

Al-Arabiya’s report came after informed sources disclosed on Sunday that Mohammad Saeed Torkman Zehi, the deputy leader of Jeish Al-Adl terrorist group, was killed in Pakistan’s Karachi.

An informed source told FNA on Sunday that Torkman Zehi was targeted by “unknown gunmen in Karachi on March 28”. Torkman Zehi was the deputy of Salam Rigi who leads Jeish Al-Adl terrorist group.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, while Jeish Al-Adl – a terrorist group stationed in Southwest Pakistan that attacks Iranian targets across the border – has kept silent.

Iranian security officials also confirmed the death of the terrorist group’s deputy leader.

After Iran captured or killed most members of Jundollah terrorist group – including its number one and number two leaders Abdol-Malek Rigi and his brother Abdol-Hamid Rigi – and disbanded the terrorist group that operated in Southeastern Iran, the remaining militants created Jeish al-Adl and conducted several terrorist operations in Iran in the last two years.

In its latest terrorist operation in Iran, Jeish al-Adl abducted five Iranian border guards in Jakigour region of Sistan and Balouchestan Province and took them to Pakistan in 2014. After two months of abduction, four of them were released and the fifth one was killed. His body was returned to Iran months later.

In another case, 14 Iranian border guards were killed and 6 more were injured during the terrorist attack by outlaws affiliated to Jeish al-Adl terrorist group in Saravan border region in October 2013.

Then early in March, 2015, Pakistani sources told the country’s media that authorities in Southwestern Pakistan had arrested the ringleader of Jeish al-Adl terrorist group as he was traveling on a bus from the lawless border area.

Salam Rigi, cousin of the Jundollah terrorist group’s ringleader Abdolmalek Rigi, was seized by Pakistani authorities who were tipped off to his movements and intercepted the bus some 50 km from Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s Baluchistan, a security official said on the condition of anonymity.

Salam Rigi is accused of involvement in suicide bombings in Iran and Pakistan, as well as sending terrorists to the conflicts in Iraq and Syria.

Other sources said the terrorist arrested was Abdo-Sattar Rigi (Abdolmalek’s brother), explaining that he was carrying his cousin’s ID card at the time of arrest, but further investigations revealed his true identity.

Later reports proved that the captured terrorist was Abdo-Sattar Rigi.

Abdo-Sattar (the third of the notorious Rigi brothers) headed the Jeish al-Nasr terrorist group, but his cousin Salam leads Jeish al-Adl.

Abdo-Sattar’s two older brothers, Abdolmalek and Abdolhamid Rigi, who led the more powerful terrorist group, Jundollah, were both captured and condemned to death by Iran earlier.

In early 2009, Abdolhamid Rigi, the Jundullah terrorist group’s number two man and brother of its ringleader Abdolmalek Rigi, was arrested by Iranian security forces.

Abdolhamid had conducted a number of bombing operations and other violent attacks in Iran resulting in many casualties and was sentenced to death by the court in 2009, but his execution was delayed on several occasions. Officials did not mention any specific reason for the delayed execution of Abdolhamid at the time.

Iran arrested Abdolmalek Rigi, the number one man of the Jundollah terrorist group in late February 2011. Abdolmalek was executed in June 2011.