Western Iran clashes (2016–present)
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2016–present clashes in West Iran[34] refers to the ongoing military clashes between Kurdish insurgent party Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, which began in April 2016. Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) and Komalah expressed their support to the Kurdish cause of PDKI as well, with both clashing with Iranian security forces in 2016 and 2017 respectively. In parallel, a leftist Iranian Kurdish rebel group PJAK resumed military activities against Iran in 2016, following a long period of stalemate.
Western Iran clashes | |||||||
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Part of Kurdish separatism in Iran and Iran–PJAK conflict | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Iran | Anti-government protesters | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Ali Khamenei Ebrahim Raisi Abdolrahim Mousavi Kioumars Heydari Hamid Vahedi Aziz Nasirzadeh (2018–2021) Hossein Salami Mohammad Pakpour Ahmad-Reza Radan Hossein Ashtari (2016–2023) Hassan Rouhani (2016–2021) |
Mustafa Hijri Khalid Azizi Qadir Qadri †[1] Sabah Rahmani †[1] Abdullah Mohtadi Ibrahim Alizade Omar Ilkhanizade Abdulla Konaposhi Husein Yazdanpanah Siamand Moini Zîlan Vejîn | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
PDKI Peshmerga YRK | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Total Iranian Military Casualties (IRGC, Border Guards and Basij etc): 14[3][4][5][a] to 18–26+[6][4][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][b] killed[better source needed] Basiji 2[14][a]–9[b] killed Border guards: 6 killed[15][16][a] |
PDKI 20+[4][7][17][18][19][20][b] to 33–40[4][21][22][23][24][a] killed PJAK 12–13[26][11][b] to 17[14][27][a] killed | ||||||
14 Iranian civilians killed[14][28][29][30][15][16] Total: 75–82[a] to 157–161+[b] armed men killed; and 19 Iranian and Iraqi civilians killed or executed | |||||||
a Iranian claim b Kurdish rebels claim |
The 2016 clashes came following a background of what PDKI described as "growing discontent in Rojhelat".[35] The commander of the PAK military wing described their engagement and declaration of hostilities against the Iranian government were due to the fact that "the situation in eastern Kurdistan (Iranian Kurdistan) has become unbearable, especially with the daily arbitrary executions against the Kurds [in Iran]".[36]