Training of the Kurdistan Freedom Party Forces by Coalition Forces to Counter ISIS

Hosseyn Yazdanpanah, the commander of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, an Iranian Kurdish militia group, told the Associated Press that the forces of this group have received military training assistance from the U.S. and European countries as part of an international program to support Kurds in the fight against the Islamic State, ISIS. The Associated Press reported on Thursday that the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) is one of the Iranian Kurdish militia groups that has taken armed action against the government inside Iran this year, leading to increased repression in the region. However, the forces of this group are simultaneously fighting alongside Iraqi Kurdish forces against the ISIS group in northern Iraq. According to the report, providing such assistance to this Iranian Kurdish group could indicate the complexities of alliances and enmities in the current war in Iraq and Syria, especially as Iran is a strong supporter of the Iraqi government and Shiite militias in the fight against ISIS. Nevertheless, the Associated Press states that one of the reasons the Kurdistan Freedom Party has benefited from this military training is that it is officially under the umbrella of Iraqi Kurdish groups, as any military training of Iranian Kurdish militia forces, even indirectly by the U.S., could raise alarm bells for Iran. Hossein Yazdanpanah acknowledged in an interview with the Associated Press that this military training assistance was received solely for the fight against ISIS. The commander of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (Iran) stated: 'They helped us and trained us within the framework of the war against ISIS.' However, Hossein Yazdanpanah emphasized that the war against ISIS will never replace our struggle against the Iranian government. He specified in this interview that the Kurdistan Freedom Party has conducted six military operations inside Iran this year. The U.S. began training regional Kurdish forces to counter ISIS following the advance of ISIS forces in Iraq in 2014. The Associated Press notes that the forces of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, numbering in the hundreds, are part of the Iraqi Kurdish forces and their activities are supervised by the Ministry of Peshmerga of the Kurdistan Region. Hossein Yazdanpanah stated that he has no doubt that the trainers were aware of their Iranian Kurdish identity. He mentioned that the forces of the Kurdistan Freedom Party received military training from American forces between March and September 2015 while stationed at the front lines in the center of Kirkuk province. Meanwhile, officials from the U.S. Central Command have denied any provision of training assistance to the Kurdistan Freedom Party (Iran) in discussions with the Associated Press. A senior U.S. Defense Department official, who requested anonymity, also stated that he has no specific information about the forces of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (Iran) and that if it is determined that these forces used the training received for conflicts in Iran instead of fighting against ISIS, they would likely be deprived of this training.