4 die as Revolutionary Guard clashes with bandits

Members of the elite Revolutionary Guard have clashed with "foreign-guided" bandits in southeastern Iran, killing four of them and suffering several casualties, state-run television reported Friday. The report did not provide details on the foreign power reportedly backing the bandits or specify the number of Guardsmen killed in the clashes, which started Thursday morning in a mountainous area near Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan province near the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan. The television also said several Guardsmen and bandits were wounded and were taken to local hospitals for treatment.