IRGC Reports Killing of Two Armed Individuals in Kurdistan

Ten days after the news of a clash between the IRGC forces and armed individuals in Kurdistan, which resulted in the death of 11 of them, the commander of the IRGC in Kurdistan province reported on Thursday, July 8, the killing of two more armed individuals in the Sarvabad area. Mohammad Hossein Rajabi identified these individuals as 'criminals affiliated with hostile and counter-revolutionary groups.' According to him, these individuals were members of a 13-person team that had entered Iran a week earlier, with 11 of them killed by the IRGC forces. According to IRNA news agency, the commander of the IRGC in Kurdistan claimed these individuals were linked to the United States and Israel, stating: 'Our regional and extra-regional enemies must understand well that serving the country of Saudi Arabia, which is itself a servant of the U.S. and Israel, will yield no results other than this.' On July 8, Mr. Rajabi reported the killing of 11 armed Kurdish forces in a clash with the IRGC in the Khosalan region of Sarvabad, labeling them as 'criminals affiliated with counter-revolutionary groups.' He stated that this 11-member group 'intended to enter and be present' in Iran but was identified by the IRGC forces immediately upon their entry and, after 10 days of pursuit, was attacked in Khosalan Sarvabad. The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, in response, announced that dozens of IRGC forces were killed during these clashes, while the IRGC in Kurdistan reported only three of its forces killed on its website. Fars news agency, citing Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the IRGC Ground Forces, reported on July 8 about a three-day chase and clash with this group in the Sarvabad area, stating that all members of this 11-person team were killed and 'weapons, ammunition, and documents' were seized from them by the IRGC forces. The commander of the IRGC Ground Forces also reported the killing of 'Kaveh Javanmard,' whom he identified as a commander of this group, during these clashes. On July 5, the IRGC also announced in a statement the killing of five members of a 'counter-revolutionary' group in Mahabad, stating that two of them were 'commanders of armed criminals.' The website of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan also reported that 'the IRGC artillery stationed in Mahabad heavily shelled the mountainous heights of this city.' Meanwhile, Hassan Sharifi, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, told Radio Farda that members of this party 'did not attack any military or administrative centers of the Islamic Republic' and that the Peshmerga of this party 'only defended themselves.'