ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday launched artillery and drone strikes on forested mountains near several villages in Mariwan county, Kurdistan province, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) reported.
The bombardment began at around 7:30 am, local time, after IRGC forces were deployed around the villages of Gagel, Haneh Sheikhan and Qamisheleh, according to local sources cited by the Paris-based network.
“Several suicide (kamikaze) drones struck various locations across these heights and exploded,” rights group cited the source as saying, adding that the drones “were launched from IRGC military bases in other cities and were guided by the organization's personnel.”
The attacks come as Iran grapples with armed insurgencies on two fronts: Kurdish opposition armed groups in the west, known as Rojhelat, and Baloch armed groups in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
The recent confrontations in Rojhelat follow months of regional tensions since the US-Israeli war against Iran began in late February.
The bombardment lasted about an hour, ending at around 8:30 am, KHRN told Rudaw English on Wednesday.
“As of the time of this report, IRGC forces remain present in the area, and the atmosphere continues to be described as heavily securitized,” KHRN said.
Although the targeted mountains have no permanent residents, local people use the area to keep beehives and graze cattle, the network said. It did not report any casualties.
According to KHRN, the operations are aimed at members of Kurdish opposition groups whom Iranian authorities accuse of maintaining a presence in the mountains.
The network said similar operations have been carried out in different mountainous areas, with residents receiving advance warnings and being prohibited from entering the affected areas for two weeks.
Similar operations and access restrictions have affected areas around Shaho mountain, Kamyaran and Sarvabad over the past few weeks, according to the network.
“These operations are destroying forests and the environment. Shaho and Kosalan are protected areas under Iranian environmental law, but they build roads and develop these areas while also bombarding them,” Rebin Rahmani, a member of KHRN’s board of directors, told Rudaw English.
The Shaho and Kosalan mountains were designated a protected area in 2009, according to KHRN. Environmental activists cited by the network have reported damage to forests and pastures from military activities, including the construction of bases and access roads.
Last month, Iranian forces also bombarded Shaho mountain with artillery and drones. In mid-October, IRGC forces deployed heavy equipment near Daleh Marz village in Sarvabad county and struck the Dasht-e Qalb area. Authorities also restricted access to parts of the mountains.
Those operations took place amid fighting between Iranian forces and the Eastern Kurdistan Units (YRK), the armed wing of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK). The YRK warned in October that it would respond to further IRGC attacks.
