What’s behind the Iran-Pakistan cross-border strikes

A festering border insurgency and upcoming elections in Pakistan made for a combustible combination

Iran and Pakistan have had a complicated relationship for decades. PHOTO: REUTERS
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On the evening of Jan 16, shortly after Iran had fired missiles at what it alleged was an Israeli spy base in Iraq and an Islamic State in Iraq and Syria facility in Syria, Teheran also fired missiles and sent drones into a mountainous village just inside the Pakistani border in Balochistan province.

A woman and her daughter were killed in the strike, which was meant to target an anti-Iran militant group named Jaish al-Adl, or Army of Justice.

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