Western Iran clashes (2016–present)
107 Soldiers Killed name=rudaw130616/>[28][29][30][15][16]6 Iraqi Kurdistan civilians wounded[31][25]5 Kurdish activists executed[32]Hundreds displaced[33][25] 1945–1979 1979–present 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.[39] The PDKI announced in March 2016 that it was giving up a two-decade ceasefire with the Iranian government and returning its guerrilla fighters to Iran, but vowed not to initiate hostilities unless attacked.Following the clash, the PDKI announced in its Twitter account that "A Peshmerga code of Resistance has been released in Eastern Kurdistan: "Lions Hunt, Hyenas Eat the Dead"".[32] The Kurdish rights activists Naji Kiwan, Ali Kurdian, Haidar Ramini, Nadir Muhamadi and Ruhman Rashidi were arrested several days earlier on charges of "conspiring against the Islamic Republic of Iran".[17] Iranian-government affiliated Fars News Agency also reported the event, claiming the militants were linked with the larger group, 11 of whom were killed a week earlier.[28] The assassination attempt was reportedly made by 4 militants,[28] during which the governor of Eslamabad-e Gharb and the director general of the fisheries of Kermanshah and other passengers of the vehicle sustained injuries, while the driver and head of the Veterinary Department of Dalahou county were killed in the shooting.[52] On 4 October 2016, Iranian Tasnim news agency reported of an incident in Kurdish-majority area in West Iran, in which 12 militants were killed and 3 IRGC members wounded.In May 2017, Komalah party moved from support to mobilization of its troops along the Iranian Kurdistan border, aiming to resume armed struggle against the Islamic Republic."[57] Turkish media accused the PJAK in that attack (stating it is as offshoot of PKK), claiming the rebels killed 2 Iranian guards and wounded 7.[61] In early March, two PDKI commanders were assassinated in Iraqi Kurdistan, with the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence accused by pro-PDKI sources of being behind the attacks.[63] On 7 September, the IRGC claimed killing 6 Kurdish militants at the vicinity of the Iraqi border, allegedly belonging to an organization responsible for the July attack.[64] On 8 September, the Iranian IRGC forces performed a missile attack on Kurdish party headquarters of PDKI and KDP-I in Iraqi Kurdistan, killing at least 11 people,[65] wounding 50 more.[68] In early July, Iran announced killing 5 militants in the Iranian Kurdistan border region with Iraq, while losing 1 IRGC dead.[72] On 16 June 2020, the Iranian military began shelling Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, joining Turkey's Operations Claw-Eagle and Claw-Tiger.On 23 June 2020, clashes between security forces and Kurdish militant groups in the village of Kuran, near the capital city of West Azerbaijan Province, left three IRGC soldiers dead.[73] On the night of November 13, 2020, three Iranian border guards were killed and two more were wounded after engaging in a firefight with suspected Kurdish militants in West Azerbaijan, around the village of Tergever.On 23 October 2016, the leader of Komala party Abdullah Muhtadi called the movements of East Kurdistan to form a joint front, as to "merge their separate enclaves is necessary in order to face their common enemy—Iran".[77] According to a Stratfor analysis, PAK and KDPI have appealed directly to Riyadh in their calls for funding and "countries with a vested interest in exacerbating Iran's domestic problems—such as Saudi Arabia may agree to help the Kurds".