At least 14 killed in latest clashes between the IRGC and the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan

Mohammad Hassan Rajabi, the commander of the IRGC in Kurdistan, reported the death of 11 armed Kurdish forces in a clash with the IRGC in the Kowsalan area of the Sarvabad County in Kurdistan Province. The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan claims that dozens of IRGC forces have been killed in recent clashes. The IRGC in Kurdistan confirmed the death of three of its members. This is the third clash between the IRGC and the forces of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan in less than two weeks. Rajabi stated that local IRGC forces killed an 11-member team of 'bandits affiliated with counter-revolutionary groups' in Sarvabad County. He added that this group intended to enter and operate in Iran. According to the commander, this team was identified by the IRGC forces upon their arrival and was attacked after 10 days of pursuit in the Kowsalan area of Sarvabad. Fars News Agency quoted Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the IRGC Ground Forces, stating that the operation to pursue and engage this group began three days prior in the Sarvabad area and continued until noon on Tuesday. Pakpour mentioned that all members of this 11-member team were killed and that 'weapons, ammunition, and documents' were seized from them. The commander of the IRGC Ground Forces also reported the death of 'Kaveh Javanmard,' identified as a commander of this group, in these clashes. The IRGC confirmed that three of its members were killed in these clashes. However, the Kurdistan Media site, which reports on the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, stated that 'dozens' of IRGC members were killed in the clashes. Hassan Sharifi, a spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, told Radio Farda that members of this party 'did not carry out any attacks on military and administrative centers of the Islamic Republic' and that the Peshmerga of this party 'only defended themselves.' Both the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party report artillery attacks by the IRGC on areas in Iraqi Kurdistan. Last Friday, reports of clashes between the forces of the 'Hamzeh Seyyed al-Shuhada' base of the IRGC and the forces of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan in the border area of Sarvabad and the general area of Mahabad were published. These clashes occurred while the Kurdish Human Rights Defenders Center issued a statement condemning the shelling of the 'Kileshin' and 'Haji Imran' areas. The statement from this center noted that 'military operations in civilian and mountainous areas in Iranian and Iraqi Kurdistan are a clear violation of international human rights laws' and must be stopped immediately. The center announced that the IRGC artillery targeted the villages of Barkama and Barbazin near the city of Sidkan in the Erbil province of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on Sunday. According to the statement, the Kowsalan mountains in the Marivan County of Kurdistan Province were also targeted by the IRGC artillery on Thursday. The Kurdish Human Rights Defenders Center stated that 'the actions of the military forces of the IRGC are violent, oppressive, and dangerous for the security and peace of the region and the world.'