TEHRAN - A senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says as many as 11 local ringleaders of the PJAK terrorist group have been apprehended in the city of Kermanshah, the capital of a western province with the same name.

“The individuals, who were members of a domestic organization of the PJAK terror group, were carrying out activities in the form of two organized cells, and, through direct links with operatives of the group, sought to conduct acts of sabotage and disrupt people’s security, but they were identified and arrested before taking any action,” said Brigadier General Mohsen Karimi, the commander of the IRGC’s Holy Najaf unit.

He said the IRGC intelligence agents keep a close watch on all security threats and moves round the clock, warning that those jeopardizing public security will be firmly dealt with without any leniency.

PJAK, an offshoot of the now-dissolved PKK terrorist group, was founded in 2004. PJAK has been actively involved in operations against Iran over the past two decades. It is labelled a terrorist organization by Iran, Turkey, and the United States. 

PJAK has carried out numerous attacks in western and northwestern Iranian provinces, including Kurdistan, killing both civilians and security forces. PJAK leaders say their long-term goal is to establish an autonomous Kurdish region within the Iranian state.

The Kurdish people are among the oldest Iranian ethnic groups. They established the first ancient Iranian empire—the Median Kingdom—which ruled over a significant portion of the Iranian plateau from the 7th century BCE until the mid-6th century BCE. Kurds became scattered across Iran, Turkey, Syria, and Iraq due to foreign interference and aggression that fragmented Iran in modern history.

Israel is now one of the primary patrons of separatist Kurdish groups, which have gained some sway in Turkey and Iraq but have failed to achieve meaningful traction in Iran.