Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) says its armed fighters (Peshmerga) engaged the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps forces in a heavy clash on Friday, October 12.
The Central Command of Kurdistan’s Peshmerga Forces confirmed the news on its official website, announcing in a statement: “At about 8 a.m. this morning, Friday, October 12, 2018, the Peshmerga forces, who had been surrounded by regime forces in a mountain resort called Bidmiri in the city of Pawa, engaged in a clash with the regime forces."
Reportedley, the clash continued until 11:00, leaving one civilian and five of the two side's forces dead.
The KDPI's statement reiterated, “The place where Peshmerga forces were positioned was targeted by [IRGC's] heavy weapons. The clash continued until 11 a.m. in which, according to information received, three members of the IRGC were killed."
The Islamic Republic's Ministry of Intelligence announced that several members of “a separatist team” near the western borders has been killed or arrested during a “firefight”.
In a statement published by state-run Iran Students News Agency (ISNA), the Intelligence Ministry maintained, “The terrorist separatist team infiltrated the country through the western borders and was staying at a 'safe' house.”
The Ministry of Intelligence has also claimed that “several weapons, grenades, military equipment, and documnets were confiscated”, insisting that the confiscated weapons prove "Arab countries support terrorist acts in Iran”.
Furthermore, without any reference to IRGC's casualties, a website close to the military elite, Booltan (Bulletin) News, reported that two armed members of KDPI, Zanyar Eslami and Shaho Waisi were killed. KDPI has confirmed the two casualties.
KDPI, one of several armed Kurdish groups opposed to the Islamic regime in Iran, has been recently targeted by IRGC rockets and drones, as well.
Around a dozen Kurdish rebels were killed on September 8, when IRGC launched ground-to-ground missiles at their headquarters.
Three weeks later, Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) said Iranian military had attacked its forces on September 30, on Mount Kodo, Choman district, over the border in Iraq.
Chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, IRGC Maj. Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, visited Kermanshah province this week. He told reporters that Erbil (the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan) and Baghdad must do more to stop the Kurdish parties from launching cross-border attacks against Iran.
Since 2016, when the Kurdish dissident groups reported that they had spread their forces across Iranian Kurdistan, the number of clashes between IRGC forces and the Kurdish parties have significantly increased.
While the Islamic Republic describes Kurdish dissident groups as “anti-Islamic Revolution” and “terrorist”, the armed groups maintain that their main goal is “defending human rights for the Kurdish” minority in Iran.
Based on the last census conducted in 2006, the four Kurdish-inhabited provinces in Iran – West Azerbaijan, Kermanshah Province, Kurdistan Province and Ilam Province – have a total population of 6,730,000. Kurds form a significant portion of this number.