PJAK says 2 fighters reported dead in August are alive

ERBIL, Kurdistan - A Kurdish opposition party on Tuesday said two of its members it had declared dead in clashes in Iran this summer are in fact alive and one is being held by Iranian forces.

In August, the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) said two of its members were killed on July 27 in clashes with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Bukan, West Azerbaijan province. The two were identified as Idris Fiqhi, known by his nom de guerre Aryo Zal, and Muhsin Qadri, known as Shahin Agri.

After an investigation, PJAK announced that neither of them was killed. Fiqhi was “captured by the occupying forces of the Iranian regime” and Qadri has returned to the group “in perfect health,” it stated.

PJAK apologized to the families and said its investigation is ongoing.

Qadri, from Bukan, joined PJAK in 2012 while Fiqhi, who is originally from Sanandaj, joined in 2017.

Established in 2003, PJAK is considered the Iranian wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), though PJAK claims it is linked only by shared ideology. Both groups use the Kurdistan Region as a safe haven from which to launch attacks on Turkish and Iranian security forces.

PJAK has lost 300 fighters in clashes with Iranian security forces and shelling by both Iran and Turkey since the group's foundation, according to a written statement sent to Rudaw English by senior PJAK member Ahvand Chiako in July.

PJAK says 2 fighters reported dead in August are alive

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