Iran’s Guard clashes with Kurds, 14 dead

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said the Revolutionary Guard has killed 11 Kurdish insurgents and lost three of its own in two days of fighting.

Fars, which is close to the Guard, said Tuesday that the battle erupted the day before after a two-day pursuit. It said Iranian forces had been monitoring the group for the past week near the town of Sarvabad in Iran’s Kurdistan province.

The report did not identify the insurgent group, calling them “counter-revolutionary bandits.”

Iranian forces have clashed with Kurdish separatists on a number of occasions this month. The Guard said it killed five insurgents on Saturday and 12 earlier this month in the West Azerbaijan province.

The West Azerbaijan and Kurdistan provinces border Iraq, which also has a large Kurdish minority.