Western Iran clashes (2016–present)

2016–present clashes in West Iran refers to the ongoing military clashes between Kurdish insurgent party Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, which began in April 2016. Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) and Komalah expressed their support to the Kurdish cause of PDKI as well, with both clashing with Iranian security forces in 2016 and 2017 respectively. In parallel, a leftist Iranian Kurdish rebel group PJAK resumed military activities against Iran in 2016, following a long period of stalemate.

Western Iran clashes
Part of Kurdish separatism in Iran and Iran–PJAK conflict
Date19 April 2016 – present (7 years, 9 months and 4 weeks)
Location
Kurdistan Province and southern parts of West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
Soran and Sidekan districts of Iraqi Kurdistan
Result Ongoing
Belligerents
 Iran
Anti-government protesters
Commanders and leaders
Ali Khamenei
Ebrahim Raisi
Abdolrahim Mousavi
Kioumars Heydari
Hamid Vahedi
Aziz Nasirzadeh (2018–2021)
Hossein Salami
Mohammad Pakpour
Ahmad-Reza Radan
Hossein Ashtari (2016–2023)
Hassan Rouhani (2016–2021)		 Mustafa Hijri
Khalid Azizi
Qadir Qadri †
Sabah Rahmani †
Abdullah Mohtadi
Ibrahim Alizade
Omar Ilkhanizade
Abdulla Konaposhi
Husein Yazdanpanah
Siamand Moini
Zîlan Vejîn
Units involved

PDKI Peshmerga
Komala Peshmerga
HAK-R

YRK
Strength
  • KDPI: 1,000–1,500
  • Komala: <1,000
  • PJAK: <3,000
  • PAK: 100–900
Casualties and losses
Total Iranian Military Casualties (IRGC, Border Guards and Basij etc): 14[a] to 18–26+[b] killed
Basiji 2[a]–9[b] killed
Border guards: 6 killed[a]

PDKI 20+[b] to 33–40[a] killed
Komala 3[b] killed
Unidentified 3[a] killed

PJAK 12–13[b] to 17[a] killed

14 Iranian civilians killed
6 Iraqi Kurdistan civilians wounded
5 Kurdish activists executed
Hundreds displaced

Total: 75–82[a] to 157–161+[b] armed men killed; and 19 Iranian and Iraqi civilians killed or executed
a Iranian claim
b Kurdish rebels claim

The 2016 clashes came following a background of what PDKI described as "growing discontent in Rojhelat". The commander of the PAK military wing described their engagement and declaration of hostilities against the Iranian government were due to the fact that "the situation in eastern Kurdistan (Iranian Kurdistan) has become unbearable, especially with the daily arbitrary executions against the Kurds [in Iran]".

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