Iranian Kurdish separatists in Iraq say they launched attacks on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard скачать в хорошем качестве

Iranian Kurdish separatists in Iraq say they launched attacks on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard

(16 Jan 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Irbil, Iraq - 15 January 2026 1. SOUNDBITE (Kurdish) Jwansher Rafati, representative of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK: "We, and since the first moments of the protests, showed our support for protesters and took a very clear stance. I can say that we were the sole party that said clearly that we have presence inside the protests. We had activities in several cities in eastern (Iranian) Kurdistan, and it is still going on. But because of the absence of internet, we are not fully aware of the situation now." ++BLACK SCREEN++ 2. SOUNDBITE (Kurdish) Jwansher Rafati, representative of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK: "In Kermanshah, when the regime savagely attacked the people, the units of the National Army of Kurdistan were forced to respond with guns, and the same thing happened in Ilam and Firuzkuh. We published an official statement that these activities were carried out by the units of the National Army of Kurdistan. We did not turn a blind eye when it comes to support or providing supplies to our people. We do our best for our nation." ++BLACK SCREEN++ 3. SOUNDBITE (Kurdish) Jwansher Rafati, representative of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK: "What exists on ground are the secret units of the National Army of Kurdistan. We did not send any force or peshmerga from southern (Iraqi) Kurdistan to eastern (Iranian) Kurdistan, and the activities are carried out solely by the units of the National Army of Kurdistan." ++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++ STORYLINE: A representative of an Iranian Kurdish separatist group in Iraq told The Associated Press that his group’s armed wing has launched attacks on Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in recent days in retaliation for Tehran's violent crackdown on protesters. Members of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK, have "played a role in the protests through both financial support and armed operations to defend protesters when needed," Jwansher Rafati, a PAK representative, told The Associated Press on Thursday. Iranian media has previously accused the group and other Kurdish factions of attacking security forces. Iranian activists say more than 2,670 people have been killed in the government’s crackdown on a recent wave of nationwide protests. A handful of Iranian Kurdish dissident or separatist groups — some with armed wings — have long found a safe haven in northern Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region, where their presence has been a point of friction between the central government in Baghdad and Tehran. Iran has occasionally launched strikes on the groups’ sites in Iraq but has not done so since the outbreak of the recent protests. The PAK is the first of the groups to claim armed operations since the protests and crackdown began. "In Kermanshah, when the regime savagely attacked the people, the units of the National Army of Kurdistan were forced to respond with guns, and the same thing happened in Ilam and Firuzkuh," Rafati said. The PAK has also claimed a number of attacks online and posted video of what it said were operations against IRGC targets, sometimes accompanied by grainy videos showing gunshots or explosions and buildings ablaze. The AP was not able to confirm the extent of the damages or the impact of the attacks. Rafati said the attacks were launched by members of the group’s National Army of Kurdistan military wing based inside Iran. The group had not sent any forces from Iraq, but it anticipates that Iran may strike PAK bases in Iraq in retaliation for its operations, he added. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...