A group of Kurdish women fighters based in northern Iraq say they are preparing for the possibility of entering Iran as tensions in the region continue to grow.
The unit, made up entirely of women, is part of the Kurdish militant organization Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK). Members say they are ready to join the fight if the conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States expands further.
Hidden bases in the mountains
Journalists who visited the group described a network of hidden tunnels and underground passages used as military bases in the mountainous border areas between Iraq and Iran.
These tunnels serve as secure storage areas for food supplies, money, and weapons. Fighters also use them as training locations and protection from surveillance.
Around sixty fighters — many of them women — were reportedly undergoing military and ideological training at one of the camps before the current regional conflict intensified.
The training includes weapons practice, drone operation, and other combat skills.
Fighters motivated by discrimination claims
One fighter, a 21-year-old woman identified as Aryen, said she joined PJAK two years ago after experiencing what she described as discrimination against Kurds inside Iran.
“I am fighting for my family and for Kurdish people who have suffered for many years,” she said.
Another member, 40-year-old Gelawej Ewrin, left her university studies in the Iranian city of Urmia two decades ago to join the group. She has spent much of her life living in the mountains and has not seen her family since.
Links to wider Kurdish movements
The Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) was founded in 2004 and is linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a Kurdish militant organization that previously fought a decades-long insurgency in Turkey.
Both Iran and Turkey classify PJAK as a terrorist organization.
Despite this, PJAK says it will continue its armed resistance against the Iranian government.
Background of protests in Iran
Some fighters say they were inspired by the protests that spread across Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022.
Her death triggered nationwide demonstrations under the slogan “Women, Life, Freedom.”
Iranian authorities responded with strict crackdowns, but activists say the movement encouraged more women to join Kurdish militant groups.
Uncertainty over Kurdish role in the war
Reports have suggested that former U.S. President Donald Trump had spoken with Kurdish leaders about the possibility of attacks against Iran.
Trump said he would support such actions if Kurdish fighters chose to carry them out, though he later stated that he did not want the conflict to become even more complicated.
As military strikes between Iran and its rivals continue, analysts warn that Kurdish armed groups entering the conflict could further destabilize the region and open another front in the already expanding crisis.
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