The “Popular Fighters Front” Claims Responsibility for Armed Attack in Zahedan’s Cheshmeh-Ziarat Area
According to a report by Baloch Media on Friday, October 9, 2026, the “Popular Fighters Front” issued a statement claiming responsibility for an armed attack on a vehicle carrying military personnel in the Cheshmeh-Ziarat area of Zahedan County. The group announced that a significant number of military and security personnel were killed in the attack, including Nosrat Eftekhari, the Deputy for Cultural and Social Affairs of the Baluchestan Provincial Police Command.
The attack targeted a military convoy; a Hilux vehicle transporting military personnel was destroyed by a roadside bomb in the Cheshmeh-Ziarat area. Following the incident, dozens of vehicles carrying military and security forces were deployed to the area, and a military helicopter was observed overhead.
Coinciding with this clash, a Baluch citizen named Abdollah Ghanbarzehi—son of Jomeh, a father of two from the Domag area of Zahedan County—was shot and killed by security forces while riding his motorcycle.
According to sources cited by Baloch Media, Abdollah—who was unarmed and had no connection to the clash—was traveling from Domag toward Zahedan around 1:30 PM to run errands. Following the clash and the roadside bombing on the Cheshmeh-Ziarat route, he was fired upon by security forces and killed.
State-run media have identified this Baluch citizen as the perpetrator of the roadside bombing and the person responsible for the deaths of two military personnel. This claim has been vehemently denied by informed sources and those close to Abdullah, who insist he played no role in the clash.
State-run media had previously reported the deaths of Colonel Nosrat Eftekhari and Ehsan Dahmardeh, military personnel accompanying him. In contrast, the Popular Resistance Front has reported the deaths of a large number of military and security personnel, including the deputy commander for cultural and social affairs of the provincial police force. To date, no independent details regarding the final casualty count—dead or wounded—from this clash have emerged.
Image of the Baluch citizen killed by military gunfire in the Cheshmeh Ziarat area of Zahedan
According to Baloch Media, yesterday—Friday, Mehr 17, 1405 [October 8, 2026]—a Baluch citizen passing through the area on a motorcycle was shot and killed by security and military forces deployed to the scene. The incident occurred in the Cheshmeh Ziarat area of Zahedan following an armed clash and a bomb explosion; the victim, a resident of the Domag area, was traveling along the main road at the time.
The deceased citizen has been identified by Haal Vsh Telgram as Abdullah Qanbarzehi, son of Jomeh; he was a resident of the Domag area of Zahedan and a father of two.
Concurrently, reports indicate that a military vehicle collided with a motorcycle carrying three teenagers in the Cheshmeh Ziarat area of Zahedan, resulting in injuries to two of them and the arrest and transfer of the third teenager to an unknown location.
According to individuals close to him who spoke to Baluch Media, Abdullah Qanbarzehi was traveling from the Domag area toward Zahedan around 1:30 PM on Thursday to run errands. Following a clash and a roadside bomb explosion targeting military and security forces in the Cheshmeh-Ziarat area, deployed forces opened fire on him without prior warning or a command to halt; he subsequently died from gunshot wounds.
Abdollah’s relatives insist: “This citizen was unarmed and merely passing through the area; he had no connection to the armed clash.” Nevertheless, state-run media have identified him as the perpetrator of the roadside bombing and held him responsible for the deaths of two military personnel—a claim denied by his associates and informed sources.
Without releasing independent details regarding the incident, state media have linked Abdollah Qanbarzehi to the bombing and the deaths of Colonel Nosrat Eftekhari Poudineh—the Deputy for Cultural and Social Affairs of the Provincial Police Command—and the security personnel accompanying him. Baloch media has not yet obtained independent evidence confirming Abdollah Qanbarzehi’s involvement in the bombing.
Additionally, according to Baloch Media sources, three teenagers riding a motorcycle in the Cheshmeh-Ziarat area of Zahedan were deliberately struck by a military vehicle belonging to the forces deployed to the region. Two of the teenagers were injured in the incident, while the third was detained by military forces and taken to an undisclosed location.
As of this report, the identities and exact ages of the three teenagers remain unknown, and there is no independent information regarding the physical condition of the two injured youths or the whereabouts of the detained teenager. Furthermore, precise details concerning the circumstances of the collision and the arrest remain unclear. This incident occurred following an attack by gunmen on a convoy of military vehicles in the Cheshmeh-Ziarat area of Zahedan. Military and law enforcement forces were subsequently deployed to the area. According to local sources, dozens of vehicles carrying military and security personnel arrived at the scene, and a military helicopter was also spotted overhead.