Four Killed and Several Injured in Clashes Between PJAK and IRGC at Turkey Border

On Tuesday, September 17, the governor of Khoy County reported clashes between the forces of the PJAK (Party of Free Life of Kurdistan) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the border area between Iran and Turkey. Hussein Siwani Asl told the IRNA news agency that in this clash, which occurred on Monday evening, two members of the IRGC were killed and two others were injured. According to the governor of Khoy, two members of PJAK were also killed and five others injured; Fars news agency also reported the 'arrest of 5 PJAK members' following these clashes. Reports indicate that this clash occurred in the Razai border area near the village of Balesur in Khoy County. The Razai border in Khoy County, opposite the Kapikoy border in Turkey, has been closed by Turkey for the past 10 days due to existing insecurities in eastern Turkey and the activities of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) across the border. A week prior, on September 1, the Makou region at the Iran-Turkey border also witnessed clashes, which Mohammad Ali Pour, the representative of Makou in Parliament, described as an attack by a 'terrorist group' on a police base, stating that this attack resulted in 'no casualties.' Mr. Ali Pour's statements came as the Farat News website, which is close to PJAK, reported that in an attack by the 'Eastern Kurdistan Defense Units, YRK' on a border post in an area between Makou County and the Turkish border, 'two IRGC members' were killed. This website quoted a 'source close' to the YRK stating that this attack was 'in response to military assaults' by the Islamic Republic forces and the 'execution of Kurdish political prisoners,' particularly 'Behrouz Alkhani.' Behrouz Alkhani was executed in August along with five others on charges of collaborating with PJAK. Meanwhile, the western provinces of Iran have witnessed clashes between Iranian security forces and PJAK in recent weeks. Bahman Reyhani, commander of the IRGC in Kermanshah province, reported on Tuesday, September 9, that several 'counter-revolutionary' forces were killed and injured in IRGC operations to 'cleanse' certain border areas in the province. Earlier, the deputy commander of the IRGC in Kurdistan province reported that five members of the Basij in Kamyaran County were killed in a 'heavy clash' with PJAK forces on the evening of August 20. On August 8, reports also emerged regarding clashes between the IRGC and PJAK forces near the village of 'Cham Zarshak' in the villages of 'Thalas and Baba Jani' in Kermanshah province, resulting in the deaths of several members of this group. The PJAK group is listed as a terrorist organization by Iran, Turkey, and many countries around the world, including the United States.