Death of at Least Two Members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps at the Sardasht Border

Reports from several local news websites in Kurdistan, Iran, indicate an armed clash involving the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at the Sardasht border, resulting in the deaths of several individuals, including two IRGC members. In this context, the Islamic Republic of Iran's state news agency reported on Thursday, May 5, 2016, the funeral of two individuals described as 'Muslim Peshmerga' in the IRGC, stating that their deaths were due to clashes with 'bandits' in the Sardasht area the previous Wednesday. According to the state news agency, the deceased were reported to be from the villages of 'Baveh' and 'Malashikh'. Earlier, the news site 'Khordadnews', citing the 'Iranian Freedom Fighters' website, reported the deaths of two IRGC members and injuries to another. In reports from this news site, the parties involved in the clash with the IRGC were described as 'smuggling bandits' or 'counter-revolutionary elements'. Simultaneously, the news website 'Rojikurd' reported the exact location of the clashes on Wednesday as the village of 'Sisar' in the Rabet district. 'Rojikurd' reported that the number of casualties among IRGC affiliates was ten. Additionally, this news website, citing local sources, stated that the number of injured IRGC members exceeded 20, who were transferred to hospitals in Sardasht, Mahabad, and Urmia. According to this news website's report, the clashes, which began with gunfire directed at an IRGC vehicle, continued from dawn until dusk on Wednesday. According to 'Rojikurd', the reason for the clashes on Wednesday was the opposition and protests of 'villagers' against the construction of a 'military base' in the village of Sisar. Another account of the clashes on Wednesday in the Sardasht region was published: according to the news site 'Khordadnews', the 'Rudaw' website, which is said to be close to Nechirvan Barzani, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, reported the crash of an IRGC helicopter during the clashes and added that 'at least 15 ambulances were immediately dispatched to the scene of the conflict, and Iranian security forces were also stationed there'. Khordadnews, citing the 'Rudaw' website, described these clashes as 'one of the rarest' encounters in recent years in Iranian Kurdish regions. According to reports from this website and local news outlets, no party or group opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region has claimed responsibility for these clashes. By Thursday afternoon, Iranian state news agencies had not published any reports regarding this incident and the clashes.