Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps Commander Colonel Hamid Ahmadi has dismissed PJAK’s call for a ceasefire, saying it is “meaningless” under current circumstances.
The Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) has been in armed conflict with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in the country’s northwest in recent months, and yesterday it issued a statement on its website calling for a ceasefire.
“At this point in the conflict, based on purported demands passed between PJAK and Iran by intermediary groups, and based on our peaceful beliefs,” the statement says, “we have decided to announce a ceasefire.”
The statement continues: “Therefore, if the Iranian government accepts our decision and announces a ceasefire, our decision will be put in force starting at noon on September 5. Otherwise, the Islamic Republic will be responsible for all future events. We hope that our decision will promote peace, stability and a democratic solution to all problems.”
The IRGC Commander told Fars News Agency that PJAK has made this move because its forces are being pounded, adding: "More than anything we want them to leave our borders and then we can begin to talk." Colonel Ahmadi reported: "The Kurdistan Regional Government is set to announce it will remove its forces from Iran, and if this happens, then we will respond to it. Otherwise there can be no response."
The IRGC announced on Saturday that it has resumed attacks against PJAK after a month’s reprieve to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as requested by Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government.
The IRGC claims it had given PJAK forces an opportunity to leave the region and end all their operations. Since the attacks resumed, the IRGC says, PJAK has suffered 30 casualties.
PJAK says it is fighting for the rights of the Kurdish minority that has been oppressed by the Islamic Republic, while Iran regards the group as a terrorist organization sponsored by the U.S. and Israel.
