Pakistan and Iran exchange mortar fire on border

MASHKAIL, Pakistan, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Pakistan and Iran traded mortar fire along the porous frontier between both countries Friday, highlighting tension between the two nations over border security.

The BBC reports that six mortar shells landed near the Pakistani town of Mashkail. A Pakistani official said that the rounds came from Iran, and Pakistan apparently fired back. No one was reported killed in the exchange.

Both nations have been at odds for years over the issue of Sunni militants staging attacks in Iran from safe havens in Pakistan along the southwest border, which constitutes the province of Baluchistan on the Pakistani side and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran.

Last week, 30 Iranian soldiers crossed over into Pakistan in pursuit of militants from Jaish Al-Adl (Army of Justice), a Sunni extremist group that advocates better living conditions for Iran's Sunni minority in Sistan Baluchistan.

A Pakistani soldier was killed in the incident, officials said.

Tehran has accused the government in Islamabad of either being complicit to the cross-border attacks or incompetent in stopping them.

Pakistan also faces border troubles with traditional adversary India. At least 17 people were killed and several others wounded this month in exchanges of fire from both sides of the Kashmir border area.