TEHRAN, Sept 30, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - At least three policemen were killed in separate attacks by jihadists and gunmen in Iran's southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province, state media reported Monday.

One of Iran's poorest regions, Sistan-Baluchistan on the border with Pakistan has long been plagued by unrest involving drug-smuggling gangs, rebels from the Baluchi minority and Sunni extremists.

"A border guard was killed a few hours ago in a clash with gunmen in Hirmand in Sistan-Baluchistan province," the official IRNA news agency reported.

A separate attack on law enforcement in the same region Monday left another border guard killed and two others wounded, IRNA said.

The news agency also reported that a member of the police special force was killed in the town of Khash, also in Sistan-Baluchistan.

The Pakistan-based Sunni jihadist group Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice in Arabic) claimed responsibility for the last two attacks in a message on Telegram.

The group has claimed responsibility for several attacks in recent months, including a Sunday raid that killed a policeman in the same region.