Three Iranian border guards killed in clashes in Kurdish region: state media

ERBIL. Kurdistan Region — Three border guards were killed near the Iranian Kurdish city of Sardasht state media reported on Friday.

Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported the clashes with “armed thugs,” without naming a group that was targeted. 

“This incident happened when [border guards of Sardasht] were patrolling the area of Gorilka, 20 kilometers from the city at 1 AM today, and they clashed with the armed thugs," Governor of Sardasht Aqsa Nakhshipour told Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

The IRGC soldiers killed were Taghi Bahrevar, the commander of the outpost; Hadi Abdi, and Alireza Islamdoost, IRNA reported.

This comes after a recent spate of hostilities between IRGC and Kurdish militant groups operating in the mountainous border region in western Iran. At least four members of the Revolutionary Guards have been killed in clashes this month.

Another IRGC-affiliated media outlet, Tasnim News, reported skirmishes in the Kurdish district of Mariwan earlier this month, describing their target as “anti-revolutionary groups.”

The IRGC has taken an increasingly offensive stance toward Kurdish guerrilla groups by installing thousands of additional troops to seal off its porous western border with Iraq, and digging thousands of kilometers of new dirt roads atop mountain peaks overlooking Kurdish areas. 

In response to the increased presence, militants have stepped up attacks against Iranian security forces. A group of gunmen ambushed a senior IRGC commander in western Iran on May 5, killing him and two of his guards. The brazen attack was carried out in broad daylight in Divandareh, in the heart of Kurdistan province – one of the most heavily militarized areas in the country.