A Sunni member of the Basij volunteer force was killed in the city of Zahedan, in Sistan-Baluchestan province, southeastern Iran, according to local officials on February 28.
Hossein-Ali Bakhshi, spokesman for the Basij force in Sistan-Baluchestan province, confirmed to Mehr News Agency: "Mohammad-Amin Rigi, a Sunni member of Basij, was shot dead last night (February 27) in the Karimabad area of Zahedan city."
Bakhshi added that the victim was shot from a distance by gunmen while walking near his home. Security forces immediately arrived at the scene and launched an investigation.
"Investigations are underway to identify the perpetrators and the motive behind the attack. We will provide more information once results are available," Bakhshi said.
Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan province, which has a large Sunni population, has witnessed numerous incidents of violence and attacks targeting security forces in recent years. However, authorities have not yet confirmed whether the latest incident is linked to local armed groups.
The Basij force, a volunteer organization affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), operates nationwide and recruits both Sunni and Shiite members. In recent years, several Sunni members of the force have been killed in attacks carried out by armed groups based in the border region.
