Iranian police say three policemen have been killed in a clash with gunmen in southern Iran.
The police say the clash erupted after a group of assailants identified only as "bandits" ambushed the policemen during the night near Hadjiabad, some 800 miles - about 1,300 kilometers - southeast of Teheran.
A report posted Thursday on the Iranian police Web site doesn't provide more details or say when the clash occurred.
Such clashes are common in the area, which is a known route for drugs destined for Arab countries in the Persian Gulf. Iran also lies on the main drug smuggling track stretching from Pakistan and Afghanistan to Europe.
Iranian authorities confiscate hundreds of tons of narcotics, mostly opium, every year.
