HANA Human Rights Organization has documented a series of armed confrontations across several areas of Kurdistan in recent days involving Iranian government forces and Kurdish armed groups. The incidents reflect a marked deterioration in the security situation and have heightened concerns over the protection of civilians living in or near the affected areas.
On 29 June 2026, two members of Iran’s security forces, Khaled Khaledi and Borhan Krisani, were killed in an armed attack in Paveh. Another security officer, Cyrus Darvishi, was reportedly wounded. Local sources alleged that Khaledi and Krisani had participated in the suppression of the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, including the shooting that blinded protester Firouz Mirani. HANA has not independently verified these allegations.
On 28 June, an armed confrontation lasting several hours was reported near Gagash, between Mahabad and Piranshahr, involving Iranian security forces and the East Kurdistan Defense Units (YRK). Witnesses reported heavy exchanges of fire and the movement of numerous ambulances and emergency vehicles, suggesting casualties among government forces. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces Hamzeh Seyyed al-Shohada Headquarters stated that it had eliminated a six-member armed unit and released photographs of four bodies. Separately, YRK announced that four of its members, including two women and two men, had been killed and claimed that Iranian forces also sustained casualties. HANA has not been able to independently verify the casualty figures or the competing claims made by either side.
On 26 June, YRK claimed responsibility for an attack on a security checkpoint near Baneh. Available reports indicate that two Iranian security personnel were killed and eight others injured. Among the injured were six members of the security forces and two civilians, including a 13-year-old girl who reportedly suffered a gunshot wound to her leg. HANA has not independently confirmed the identities or conditions of all those reported injured.
A further armed clash occurred on 23 June in the Khawmirabad border area near Marivan. Iranian border authorities reported that border officer Danial Nourian was killed during an exchange of fire with unidentified armed individuals. HANA has not been able to independently verify the circumstances of the incident or whether casualties occurred among the opposing side.
Iranian authorities have attributed several of the recent attacks to Iranian Kurdish opposition groups. YRK has acknowledged responsibility for the Baneh checkpoint attack and confirmed the deaths of four of its fighters during the Gagash clashes. The group further stated that it had not participated in recent hostilities against Iran and described the reported engagements as defensive responses to operations conducted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. HANA has not independently verified these statements.
At the same time, media outlets in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq reported that Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had requested the Iraqi government to extradite or expel members of Iranian Kurdish opposition parties and their families residing in the region. As of the publication of this report, none of the affected parties had issued an official response.