IRGC forces on Sunday launched coordinated attacks against the Iranian Kurdish rebel group PJAK, reportedly occupying their camps in northwestern border region of Iran as well as inside the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region. IRGC forces staged in the Iranian border town of Sardasht crossed the border and entered Iraqi Kurdistan after heavily shelling PJAK positions.
"All the three camps on Iraqi soil that were backing the terrorist group have fallen under our control and we have full control of the area," said Colonel Delavar Ranjbarzadeh, IRGC commander at Sardasht [IRNA, 18 July].
IRGC operations inside Iraqi Kurdistan reportedly are still continuing. The IRGC announced that one of its members was killed in action and three others wounded, and that tens of PJAK members were also killed.
AFP quoted a PJAK spokesman that IRGC forces had suffered several casualties in the fighting in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Sulaimaniyah province.
Last week a senior Iranian military official said Iran reserved the right to attack PJAK bases inside Iraqi Kurdistan.
About time Iran wiped out these pests.
ReplyDeleteI've been considering the IRGC cross-border op further.
ReplyDeleteThis appears to have been initiated by the KRG publicly providing the equivalent of an AO for PJAK on the Iran-Iraq border. Was this actually a result of USG instigating? Speculation, but such could possibly have been a bait in provoking an IRI military response which could be played out, psychologically upon the Iraqis, for the benefit of a renewed US military presence in Iraq beyond the current SOFA agreement.
For their part, the IRGC operation appears to be unusual in its preceding public declaration of intent, scope and apparent duration.
Could the IRIG have swallowed a USG instigated bait, I wonder.