ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) on Wednesday released the identities of two of its members that were killed when clashes erupted with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in western Iran last week.
Idris Fiqhi, known by his nom de guerre Aryo Zal, and Muhsin Qadri, known as Shahin Agri, were killed after clashes erupted with the IRGC on July 27 in Bukan, West Azerbaijan province, the group said in a statement.
Qadri, from Bukan, joined PJAK in 2012 while Fiqhi, who is originally from Sina, joined the group in 2017.
The IRGC announced the killing of the two members and the arrest of one other on Tuesday, the semiofficial Fars news agency quoted the force as saying following the attack, noting that the group was “intending to carry out anti-security acts inside Iran.”
Established in 2003, the PJAK is considered the Iranian wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), but the PJAK claims it is linked only by shared ideology.
Both the PKK and PJAK use the Kurdistan Region as a safe haven from which to launch attacks on Turkish and Iranian security forces.
The PJAK has lost 300 fighters in clashes with Iranian security forces and in shelling by both Iran and Turkey since the group's foundation, according to a written statement sent to Rudaw English by senior PJAK member Ahvand Chiako in July.
In February, PJAK released the identity of two of its fighters that were killed on the Iran-Iraq border.
