Rebel group captures 9 Iranian soldiers-Arabiya TV

Reuters:

A little-known Sunni rebel organisation says it has abducted nine Iranian soldiers to pressure Tehran to free imprisoned members of the group, Al Arabiya television said on Sunday.

A caller speaking for the Jundollah (God's Soldiers) said the soldiers were seized near Iran's border with Pakistan, and demanded the release of 16 group members, the satellite television channel said.

Iranian officials were not immediately available to comment. In July, the group said it beheaded an Iranian security agent it had abducted the previous month. READ MORE

Iran's remote southeastern areas on the border with Pakistan have seen sporadic unrest involving the Baluchi minority, and are a major drug trafficking route used by armed smugglers.

Some 90 percent of Iran's nearly 70 million people are Shi'ite Muslims. Sunnis among the Kurdish, Turkmen and Baluchi ethnic minorities have often complained of discrimination.