Two members of the Iranian Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) have
been killed in a clash with armed elements in northwestern Iran.
The
incident happened in the region of Maku in West Azerbaijan province bordering
Turkey and also close to Iraqi Kurdistan.
Maku’s
governor Hassan Abbasi told Iranian media that two junior officers of IRGC were
killed in the clash and another soldier wounded.
In
recent months there have been multiple clashes in western Iran close to the
Iraqi and Turkish borders between armed groups and Iranian armed forces. In
most cases the armed groups are Kurdish insurgents with bases in Iraq. Some
demand independence for Kurdish-populated regions of Iran.
Multiple
clashed were reported also in early July between Kurdish insurgents and the
IRGC.
It
is not clear if in this case Kurdish groups were involved. In addition to
Iranian Kurdish organizations, the Kurdish PKK has also clashed with Iranian
forces.