At least five Iranian police officers have been killed in a militant attack in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan, a provincial official said on April 9.

Alireza Marhamati, the provincial deputy security and law enforcement governor, said a number of armed men affiliated with the Jaish al-Adl terrorist group had attacked police patrols in Sib and Soran counties.

The attack in the mostly Sunni region is the second such attack in a week, with more police and security killed by insurgents in the previous waves of killings targeting security. The area borders Afghanistan and Pakistan and has long been the site of frequent clashes between Iranian security forces and Takfiri groups, as well as drug traffickers.

Marhamati said security forces were continuing the manhunt to find the perpetrators.

The Jaish al-Adl group, which Marhamati described as the "terrorist group of Jaish al-Zulm (Army of Brutality)", has claimed responsibility for the assault.

The police noted the names of the police officers: Mohsen Kamali Doost, Isaiah Bazzi-Allah-rey, Kazem Mollaei, Hossein Sardashti Birjandi and Behzad Barani.

Last week, the terror outfit launched attacks on public places as well as military and law enforcement bases in the province, with the intention of seizing IRGC headquarters in the towns of Chabahar and Rask.

However, the attacks were thwarted by security forces, who lost 10 members, while the Jaish al-Adl terrorists suffered 18 fatalities, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said.

In December, the terrorist group attacked a police station in the town of Rask, killing 11 security personnel. Iran responded to the attack by targeting two bases of the terrorist group in Pakistan with missiles.