Iranian Kurdish party promises revenge after death of six fighters
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) on Monday confirmed the death of six of its fighters, in a clash that happened two days ago. Some of them took their own lives to avoid capture.
Moreover, they said 12 of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed.
The Central Command of the PDKI’s Peshmerga fighters in a statement said they were ambushed on Aug. 11 by a large group of IRGC forces on Mount Kelashin, outside the Kurdish city of Shno (Oshnavieh) in Iranian Kurdistan.
“During the ensuing battle, which lasted for five hours, twelve members of the IRGC were killed, and eight others were severely injured.”
“The Peshmerga platoon was attacked from three sides. Unfortunately, one Peshmerga was martyred in the first wave of attacks and three others were injured,” the statement said.
“Due to the lack of opportunity to transfer the three injured Peshmergas, and following a heroic battle that lasted for over two hours, the three injured Peshmergas took their own lives with hand grenades,” it added.
However, the remaining Peshmerga fighters managed to breach the ambush and flank the IRGC, killing and injuring soldiers.
“Unfortunately, two other Peshmergas were martyred in the counterattack,” the PDKI said.
After the IRGC was pushed back, they resorted to shelling the Peshmerga positions, injuring two Kurdish fighters.
Eventually, after the five-hour battle, the remaining Peshmerga fighters made a “tactical withdrawal from the battleground.”
In the battle, Abdulsalam Abdi, Suleiman Mohamedzadeh, Abdulwahid Sohrabi, Ismail Eranmensh, Osman Rahmani, and Mehran Tehapor were killed.
“The Central Command of Kurdistan’s Peshmerga Forces vows to avenge the martyred Peshmergas and to continue the struggle against the Islamist regime until victory is achieved,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the IRGC claimed they were attacked, and that they killed 11 PDKI fighters.
According to experts, Iranian Kurdish parties have recently stepped up their activities amid a new policy by the Trump administration toward Iran.
“Iranian Kurdish parties have significantly increased operational activity in Iran over the past few months, especially PDKI, with the rightful assumption that renewed US-imposed sanctions coupled with ongoing anti-government protests will weaken the Iranian regime,” Ceng Sagnic, the coordinator of the Kurdish Studies Program at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies in Tel Aviv, told Kurdistan 24.
“The demonstration of strength and militant capabilities by these parties are also messages to the US and other Western states that Iranian Kurdish groups are willing to collaborate should the US-led camp decide to weaken the regime further,” he added.
The PDKI reignited a conflict with the Islamic Republic in June 2016, 20 years after laying down their weapons in 1996 to prevent jeopardizing Kurdish gains made in northern Iraq.
The Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) and the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) have also recently clashed with Iranian forces.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany