ZAHEDAN (Tasnim) � Four Iranian Border Police servicemen were martyred on Wednesday in an armed clash with gunmen in an outlying border region in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.

In an interview with Tasnim, Ali Asghar Mirshekari, deputy governor of the province for security and political affairs, said the exchange of fire occurred in �Pishin�, a border zone located in Sarbaz County, some 450 kilometers south of the provincial capital, Zahedan.

The Border Police soldiers martyred in the incident were under command of the �Border Regiment of Jakigour�, he added.

The four, including a sergeant and 3 privates, fell victim to the attack on Eid al-Fitr, a major Islamic festival celebrated by Muslims at the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Armed clashes along the border areas of Sistan and Baluchestan, which neighbors Pakistan, are not rare.

The Iranian Police are often engaged in battles against drug-traffickers and outlaws in the region.

By Tasnim News Agency