Hengaw report on deadly armed clashes in multiple cities
Hengaw – Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Multiple armed clashes in recent weeks between fighters of the Eastern Kurdistan Defense Units (YRK) — the armed wing of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) — and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in several cities have left at least seven people dead, including three Iranian military personnel and four YRK guerrillas.
According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the latest clash occurred between YRK fighters and the IRGC in Mahabad on Sunday, June 28, 2026. YRK had previously confirmed the confrontation in a statement. On Tuesday, Iran's state broadcaster, citing a statement from the IRGC's Hamzeh Headquarters, announced that four people had been killed and released images of the four deceased YRK fighters, including one woman. At the time of publication, PJAK had neither confirmed nor denied the report.
Earlier, an armed clash broke out at the entrance to Baneh and at a checkpoint on the Baneh-Saqqez road between YRK fighters and Iranian security forces. The confrontation, which took place on the evening of Friday, June 26, killed two members of the Iranian security forces, Mardin Ahmadi, a conscript from Saqqez serving his mandatory military service, and IRGC sergeant Mohammad Hossein Beigi. Four other security personnel and one civilian were also wounded.
Another armed clash occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, June 10, in the Khawmirabad border area near Marivan between YRK fighters and Iranian Border Guard forces. Second Lieutenant Danial Nourian, a member of Iran's Law Enforcement Command, was killed in the fighting.
Several armed confrontations have also been reported in recent weeks in Piranshahr and Paveh. On Monday night, the newly formed group "Xori Hiwa" (Sun of Hope) claimed responsibility for an attack in Paveh that killed two IRGC members, Khaled Khaledi and Borhan Karisani, and seriously wounded two others. The group has also reported recent clashes between its fighters and IRGC forces in Piranshahr.
