ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday said six “hostile and separatist” members of a Kurdish opposition group were killed near the Kurdish city of Mahabad in western Iran (Rojhelat), coming after two IRGC members were killed in the same region a day earlier.

“This clash took place on the heights between the cities of Mahabad and Piranshahr and was supported by artillery fire, during which the six-member team was completely destroyed and the bodies of four of the fighters, along with various weapons and equipment, were handed over,” the IRGC said in a statement carried by affiliated media.

Earlier in the day, Iranian state media said “terrorists” shot at a house door in Kermanshah province’s Paveh on Monday evening, killing two local IRGC members and injuring two others, with one being in a coma and in unstable condition.

The attack was claimed by a newly formed armed group called “Khori Hiwa,” which means “Sun of Hope” in Kurdish, according to the Oslo-based Hengaw Human Rights Organization.

“Any action to make the northwest borders insecure will be met with a decisive and regrettable response,” the IRGC statement added.

Khori Hiwa accused one of those killed, identified as Khalid Khalidi, of playing a key role in the mass killing of young people during the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Women, Life, Freedom) uprising in 2022, according to Hengaw. 

Iran frequently carries out strikes in Rojhelat, claiming to target “separatist” and anti-state elements. Iranian Kurdish opposition groups accuse Tehran of carrying out indiscriminate attacks that have damaged civilian property and the environment.