Baloch Dissident Rustam Ijbari Dies After Armed Attack in Herat, Afghanistan
HERAT, AFGHANISTAN: Haji Rustam Ijbari, a prominent Baloch dissident opposed to the Islamic Republic of Iran, has died in a hospital in Herat after sustaining serious injuries in an armed attack on Wednesday, according to reports from the Baloch Activists Campaign.
Ijbari, the son of late Baloch militant leader Haji Ahmad, was reportedly shot in the head and ear by unidentified gunmen in Herat on October 8. He was immediately taken to a local hospital in critical condition and remained in a coma before succumbing to his injuries on Thursday morning.
A family source told the Baloch Activists Campaign that doctors had described Ijbari’s condition as grave and warned that any attempt to transfer him to another city for advanced treatment would be too dangerous. He remained in the intensive care unit until his passing.
“Doctors had hoped to operate on him if he came out of the coma, but the extent of his injuries proved fatal,” the sources said.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, some Iranian state-affiliated media outlets hinted at the involvement of Iranian proxy forces, alleging that Ijbari was a commander of the Jaish al-Adl militant group, an accusation strongly denied by his family and associates.
Close contacts insist that Ijbari was not affiliated with any organisation, despite his outspoken opposition to Tehran and his family’s long history of resistance. His father, Haji Ahmad, was a well-known figure in Baloch militant circles and reportedly engaged in multiple confrontations with Iranian security forces during his lifetime.
The assassination has sparked concern among human rights groups and Baloch activists, who view it as part of a broader pattern of cross-border repression by Iranian intelligence networks targeting dissidents abroad.
As of the time of filing this report, Afghan authorities have not released any official statement regarding the incident or potential suspects.
