IRAN – At least 5 Iranian police officers were killed on Friday after targeted attacks on police patrol units in the southeastern parts of the country.

The attacks took place along the Khash-Iranshahr route in the Sistan and Baluchestan province, according to the police information center.

The attackers are said to have fled the scene, and a search operation is currently underway.

Iranshahr, a city in the border province of Sistan and Baluchestan, is 337 kilometers (209 miles) from Zahedan, the provincial capital.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, but sources suggested it could be the work of the Jaish-e-Adl militant group, which has carried out a series of attacks on police patrol units in the province in recent years.

With a population of about 4 million, the province has long grappled with a precarious security situation due to the presence of several militant groups, most notably Jaish-e-Adl.

Last month, an attack on a courthouse in Zahedan killed at least six people and injured 22 others, including women and children.

There have been attacks on many police stations in the province bordering Pakistan in the past few years, resulting in many casualties.