The Kurdistan Workers' Party [a] or PKK (Kurdish: Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê) is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla group which is primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of southeastern …

The Iran–PJAK conflict is an armed conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Kurdish rebels of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), which began in 2004. The group has carried out numerous attacks in the Kurdistan Province of Iran and provinces of Western Iran.

Mar 30, 2025 · Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), militant Kurdish nationalist organization founded by Abdullah (“Apo”) Öcalan in the late 1970s. Although the group initially espoused demands for the establishment of an independent Kurdish state, its stated aims were later tempered to calls for greater Kurdish autonomy .

The Kurdistan Region–PKK conflict refers to a series of clashes in Iraqi Kurdistan between the ruling Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its allied groups. The conflict started in 1983.

13 hours ago · As with U.S.-Iran confrontations, Turkey and PKK-aligned groups have fought many of their battles in Iraqi Kurdistan, transforming a stretch of the semiautonomous region in northern Iraq into a ...

Feb 6, 2017 · Ankara now seeks to contain Iran and undercut any attempts at consolidating Kurdish territories in Syria. In contrast, Iran has reawakened its historic ties with both the PKK and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the KDP's main rival.

Jan 24, 2025 · The report references reports from the Qatar-funded Middle East Eye, which is close to the Turkish government, stating that in May 2024 the PKK used an Iranian-supplied 358 loitering missile to down a Turkish Aksungur armed drone.

Jan 31, 2025 · Iran tries to pressure Türkiye by giving the PKK freedom of movement within its borders, in Sulaymaniyah, where its influence is high, and on the Iranian side of Qandil. Through this, it aims to turn regional balances in its favor and maintain strong leverage against Türkiye and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Iraq.

Sep 24, 2024 · Iran and Turkey increasingly risk clashing through proxies in Iraqi Kurdistan as Turkey escalates its operations against the PKK, further complicating regional dynamics amid the Gaza war.

Iran’s regional concerns intersect with the PKK. It uses the terror group to undermine Türkiye's influence, pressure the KDP in Northern Iraq, and facilitate a terror corridor between Syria and Iraq for Shia militants.