Iranian colonel among three killed in border clash

TEHRAN: Three members of the Iranian security forces, including a colonel, were killed in clashes with an armed group in the southeast of the country, IRNA news agency reported.

The police chief of Kerman province, Abdolreza Nazeri, said security forces clashed with "an armed group of bandits" while patrolling an area bordering Sistan-Baluchistan province.

Three of the security forces were killed and six others wounded in "the confrontation that lasted for almost 24 hours", he said. At least two members of the armed group were also killed, IRNA said, saying it has a "long history of evil and instability in the southeastern region", without naming the group. IRNA pointed to illegal activity and smuggling in the area of the clashes. The province lies on the border with Pakistan and is a flashpoint of clashes between security forces and armed groups.