The Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl hailing from Iran's Baluch ethnic minority announced it would change its strategy toward civil disobedience under a new umbrella group gathering like-minded factions, even as it continued deadly attacks on government forces.
In a video message posted on Telegram, masked spokesman Mahmoud Baluch announced the formation of the new “Popular Fighters Front” on Wednesday which he described as a merger of several Baluch political groups and movements in the restive southeastern region of Iran.
“I am honored to tell the suffering people who long for liberation from the oppression of the rule of the Supreme Leader that the fighters of Sistan and Baluchistan, understanding the country’s critical situation and with the aim of increasing the effectiveness of the struggle” had formed the body, he said.
The announcement came after the new group claimed responsibility for an armed attack which Iranian state media said killed several members of the security forces on Wednesday.
Iran, the United States and several other countries have designated Jaish al-Adl as a terrorist organization, citing its record of bombings, ambushes, kidnappings and suicide attacks targeting the army, border guards and police.
In a written manifesto, the new group said it aims to fight poverty, injustice and discrimination by prioritizing civil action.
“We consider civil activity the natural and legal right of every citizen,” it said. “In this regard, the Popular Fighters Front is pursuing civic, media and political efforts aimed at conveying the people’s voice, raising public awareness and strengthening national cohesion in the face of discrimination and inequality.”
“Civil action must be carried out responsibly, within the law, and with full observance of personal and public security principles,” he added. It did not renounce violence.
Haalvsh, a rights group that documents abuses and unrest in Sistan-Baluchestan, said the merger includes the PADA Baloch Movement, the Nasr-e Baluchestan Movement, Jaish al-Adl, the Mohammad Rasulullah group led by Haji Vahed Bakhsh, as well as groups operating under the label of spontaneous Baloch fighters.
Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) emerged around 2012 as a successor to Jundullah, after Tehran's capture and execution of Jundullah’s leader Abdelmalek Rigi.
The group operates mainly in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan province along the border with Pakistan and says it fights for political and religious rights for Iran’s Sunni Baloch minority in the Shi'ite theocracy.
