TEHRAN The Islamic Republic of Iran's Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) announced that during the past few days 2400kg of drugs have been seized from armed bandits in the eastern parts of the country.

During clashes between LEF forces and armed bandits, 13 bandits were killed and dozens were arrested. During the operation 10 LEF officers were martyred and 101 weapons were seized from the bandits.

Also, three Iranian policemen were killed in a shootout with armed bandits in southeastern Iran, a provincial police officer said on Wednesday.

Captain Kazem Hashem-Abadi said that the policemen were killed two days ago in the Souran region in the southeastern province of Sistan Baluchestan.

He said that one drug-trafficker was killed and five others arrested, adding that several assault rifles and many rounds of ammunition were also seized.

Iran is a major route for drugs originating from Afghanistan or Pakistan on their way to markets in the Persian Gulf, Europe and beyond.

The Iranian government spent nearly $20 million last year in the fight against drug trafficking, and has armed thousands of villagers along its eastern border to help combat traffickers.

Official reports say 3,100 Iranian police officers have lost their lives in drug-related battles throughout Iran over the past twenty years.

Meanwhile, the local police personnel of Kerman in a successful operation seized 1,000kg of narcotic drugs on Tuesday night in the city of Bardsir.

Based on the reports, police personnel also busted a caravan of armed drug traffickers and bandits, killing or wounding a number of them.

The drug traffickers had transported the narcotics from the country's eastern borders to heights in Kerman Province and intended to smuggle them to the southern Province of Fars.

Police personnel also confiscated 15.750kg of heroin, two kelashnikov rifles, two colts and a large amount of ammunition from the bandits.