Muslim cleric killed in Iran area near border with Pakistan

A Sunni Muslim cleric in Iran was killed on Monday in front of his home in a region bordering Pakistan that has been plagued by violence, state television reported.

The incident took place in the southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province, one of Iran's poorest regions that borders Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"Youssef Gargij, a Sunni cleric... was killed by Zionist mercenaries in front of his house" in the province's capital Zahedan, Iranian television reported, adding that he was a supporter of the Islamic republic.

Authorities in Iran frequently accuse militant groups operating in the province of having ties to Israel.

The region is home to a large Baloch ethnic minority, who practise Sunni Islam.

While killings of religious figures in Iran are less common, security forces regularly clash with armed groups, including drug traffickers and separatists, in the area.

On Saturday, three members of the security forces were killed in clashes with gunmen, five of whom died, according to state television.

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