ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Sunday targeted the mountainous and forested areas of Marivan in the western Kurdistan Province, despite recent warnings from a Kurdish opposition group that it would exercise its “right to self-defense” if attacks on its positions continue.
According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), a Paris-based human rights watchdog, citing a resident from Gavileh village, northeast of Marivan, the IRGC forces on Sunday “deployed a military convoy equipped with artillery and drones around the village.”
The source added that IRGC forces first targeted the mountainous Dashti Mil area near the village with several suicide drones, then carried out heavy artillery shelling of the area.
The rights group has also reported similar attacks on the mountainous regions since Tuesday.
The recent attack comes only a day after the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), an Iranian Kurdish opposition group, warned the IRGC that it would exercise its “right to self-defense” if attacks on its positions continued.
The Eastern Kurdistan Units (YRK), PJAK's armed wing, warned in a statement, “We will exercise our legitimate right to self-defense and deliver the necessary response” if attacks continue.
The warning came after the clashes between Kurdish opposition armed groups and Iran’s IRGC began on Thursday and have continued into Friday in western Iran’s Kurdish region, known as Rojhelat, particularly around the Shaho mountain range.
The escalation comes amid Iran's ongoing war with the US and repeated Iranian drone and missile attacks on Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region.
On Saturday night, two drones from Iran struck a base belonging to the Iranian Kurdish opposition group Komala in Balisan, Erbil province, an official from the group and a security source told Rudaw English.
Ali Ranjbari, head of Komala’s relations, confirmed the attack, saying there were no casualties, but buildings were damaged. He said one drone struck the base, while the other hit a guard post.
Iran is facing armed insurgencies on two fronts: Kurdish armed groups in the west and Baloch armed groups in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
Violence has intensified in Sistan and Baluchestan, where Baloch armed groups have carried out a series of deadly attacks against Iranian security forces in recent weeks.
On September 23, an armed group in the province killed IRGC Brigadier General Hossein Zarifi, commander of the Shahid Sajjad Operational Base in Saravan, and intelligence chief Ahmad Herati Zera’ati during heavy fighting.
