“We expect Pakistan to confront these terrorist groups that are supported by some regional states, and immediately release the kidnapped Iranian forces,” the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried on state television

14 Iranian Border Guards Kidnapped by Pakistan

Earlier, Fourteen Iranian security forces, including members of the Revolutionary Guards, were kidnapped on the border with Pakistan according to state news agency IRNA.

Armed “Sunni” Muslim separatist groups in eastern Iran have escalated attacks against Iranian security targets in recent months. “These 14 people were kidnapped around 4 or 5 a.m. in Lulakdan border area,” IRNA quoted the unnamed official as saying.

Lulakdan is in Sistan-Baluchistan, a mainly Sunni province that has long been tormented by unrest from both separatist militants and drug smuggling gangs.

In September, the Revolutionary Guards killed four “Sunni” Muslim militants at a border crossing with Pakistan, including the second-in-command of Jaish al-Adl, a group that has carried out several attacks on Iranian military targets in recent years.

The official said some of the security forces were members of Basij volunteer paramilitary force, a part of the Revolutionary Guards. Tehran says militant groups have safe havens in Pakistan and has warned it will attack their bases if Islamabad does not confront them.