Kurdistan Freedom Party

Kurdistan Freedom Party (Kurdish: پارتی ئازادیی کوردستان‎, romanized: Parti Azadi Kurdistan, abbreviated as PAK) is a Kurdish nationalist and separatist militant group of Kurds in Iran, based in northern Iraq.

Kurdistan Freedom Party
Founding leaderSaid Yazdanpanah
LeaderHussein Yazdanpanah
Dates of operationSince 1991 (1991)
HeadquartersErbil, Iraq
Active regionsIraqi Kurdistan
Iranian Kurdistan
Syrian Kurdistan
IdeologyKurdish nationalism
Size1,000 (claimed)
Battles and warsKurdish separatism in Iran, Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017) and Syrian civil war
Websitepazadik.net

The group has declared creation of an independent Kurdish country as its main aim.[1][2]

History

The group was founded by Said Yazdanpanah, a former member of the People's Fedai Guerrillas, in May 1991, as the Revolutionaries' Union of Kurdistan.[1] Said Yazdanpanah was killed in September 1991, and his brother Hussein Yazdanpanah took over the organization afterwards.[1]

In a congress held between 10-12 October 2006 in Erbil, the group adopted its current name and named Ali Qazi, the son of Qazi Mohammad, as its leader. Yazdanpanah became Vice President.[1] A few months later, the group experienced a split when some members led by Simko Yazdanpanah, the brother of the group's leaders left the party on 7 July 2007. They declared on 12 August that they have reorganized the original Revolutionaries' Union of Kurdistan, and their leader is Amine Khanim, mother of Yazdanpanah brothers.[1]

As of 2017, the organization maintains close ties to the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI) and is on friendly terms with both Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).[2]

Armed activities
PAK Peshmerga in December 2013
Main article: Western Iran clashes (2016–present)

These Peshmerga have been involved in the Iraqi Civil War, fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) along with other Kurdish forces.[2] They received training from US forces during their struggle against ISIL in Kirkuk, where they played a crucial role.[3] Some members of the Kurdistan Freedom Party also travelled to Syria and helped to defend Kobanî against ISIL.[4]

In April 2016, PAK attacked Iranian government security forces in Sanandaj during the annual Islamic Republic of Iran Army Day parade, ending its cease-fire and resume its armed struggle.[5]

Strength

In December 2019, Hussein Yazdanpanah said there are 1,000 members in his group,[6] however there is no independent verification for this claim. A 2017 report published by Combating Terrorism Center estimated that the group has "a few hundred" members,[1] the same figure reported by AP in the previous year.[7] In 2016, Voice of America wrote that the group has some 600 fighters, one-third of whom female.[8] PAK welcomed some foreign fighters from Scandinavia during its campaign against ISIL.[9]

Equipment

The PAK members wear uniforms similar to the fighters under command of Peshmerga ministry, but install their own patches too.[7] They use a variety of weapons, including Russian-made equipment.[3] AK-47 is a regular weapon of PAK fighters.[10] Journalist Fazel Hawramy wrote in 2017 that PAK uses weapons supplied by Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve.[3] The organization has denied being armed by the Americans.[2]

Ideology

The group espouses Kurdish nationalism and is regarded as politically left-leaning on the political spectrum.[2]

Designation as a terrorist organization

Iran designates PAK as a terrorist organization.[2]

State sponsorship

In July 2016, PAK declared that international aid will help them cease "Iranian influence in the region". They directly asked Saudi Arabia for funding, according to Stratfor analyses, which may have been accepted.[11] In September 2016, PAK announced that it has received military training in weapons and explosives from the United States.[7]

References
  1. Ahmadzadeh, Hashem; Stansfield, Gareth (2010), "The Political, Cultural, and Military Re-Awakening of the Kurdish Nationalist Movement in Iran", Middle East Journal, 64 (1): 11–27, JSTOR 20622980
  2. Milburn, Franc (May 2017), "Iranian Kurdish Militias: Terrorist-Insurgents, Ethno Freedom Fighters, or Knights on the Regional Chessboard?", CTC Sentinel, Combating Terrorism Center, 10 (5): 1–2 – via Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
  3. Hawramy, Fazel (7 November 2017), "The other Iranians fighting in Iraq", Al-Monitor, retrieved 25 April 2020
  4. "Martyr Mam Hejar is the slogan of unity for Kurdish people". YPG Rojava. 26 February 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  5. "Clashes in West Iran" (PDF), ICRP Monthly Review, Budapest: Institute for Cultural Relations Policy: 13–15, June 2016, ISSN 2063-8205
  6. Mallinder, Lorraine (26 December 2019), "'We are only 1,000, but we fight like 10,000,' says leader of Kurdistan Freedom Party", Irish Times, retrieved 25 April 2020
  7. Szlanko, Balint; Gambrell, Jon; Baldor, Lolita C. (8 September 2016), "Iranian Faction among Kurds Trained by US against Militants", Associated Press, retrieved 25 April 2020
  8. "Kurdish Women Battle IS With Songs — and Machine Guns", Voice of America, 4 November 2016, retrieved 25 April 2020
  9. De Craemer, Simon (2017). Strange Comrades: Non-Jihadist Foreign Fighters in Iraq & Syria (PDF) (Master of Science). Universiteit Gent. pp. 38, 53–54.
  10. Frantzman, Seth J. (13 August 2016), "Kurdish women take up arms alongside men to defend their people", The Jerusalem Post, retrieved 15 April 2020
  11. "Iranian Kurds Return to Arms" (Analysis). Stratfor. 29 July 2016. Archived from the original on 30 July 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
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