The U.S. Planned to Use Kurdish Militias to Destabilise Iran: Iranian Special Forces Just Assassinated Their Leaders

Middle East , Ground

Military Watch Magazine Editorial Staff

August-5th-2026

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Iranian 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade Personnel

The Iranian Armed Forces have announced that special forces units conducted a cross-border operation into Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region, claiming to have killed eight leaders of armed separatist groups operating near the frontier. According to Iranian military statements, the operation has been underway for several weeks and targeted organisations Tehran accuses of launching attacks and supporting insurgent activity inside western Iran. The announcement nevertheless marks a significant escalation, as it suggests Iranian ground forces carried out operations inside Iraqi territory rather than relying solely on the missile, drone, and artillery strikes that have characterised previous campaigns against Western-backed Kurdish militant groups.



65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade





Tehran has repeatedly accused Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in northern Iraq, including organisations such as the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI), Komala, and PJAK, of collaborating with Western and Israeli intelligence services and attempting to infiltrate Iran. Iranian officials have intensified such accusations since the regional conflict earlier this year, warning that any cross-border operations by separatist groups would be met with military force. Nevertheless, few details have been released regarding the Iranian operation, and neither the specific groups targeted nor their locations have been revealed.



Paramilitary Personnel in Iraqi Kurdistan





U.S. officials have repeatedly alluded to Kurdish paramilitary groups playing an important role in its war effort against Iran. In a March 2026 interview with Reuters, President Donald Trump expressed support for Iranian Kurdish groups conducting operations against Iran, stating: “I think it’s wonderful that they want to do that, I’d be all for it.” He was referring to the possibility of Iranian Kurdish militias crossing into Iran during the conflict. Reuters on March 3 reported, citing three sources familiar with the discussions, that Iranian Kurdish militias had consulted with the United States about whether and how to attack Iranian security forces from bases in Iraqi Kurdistan. According to two of the sources, the objective was to weaken Iran’s military and create conditions for a broader uprising against the government.



Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ground Forces Personnel




On March 6 Reuters reported that Israeli officials had held discussions with Iranian Kurdish factions regarding operations to seize towns near the Iranian border, while Trump publicly welcomed the prospect of a Kurdish offensive. CNN subsequently cited multiple U.S. officials reporting that the CIA was exploring options to provide support a Kurdish war effort with the aim of stretching Iranian security forces, encouraging unrest inside Iran, or potentially enabling Kurdish forces to establish control over parts of northwestern Iran. The report stated that discussions were underway with Kurdish leaders in Iraq and Iranian Kurdish opposition groups, although no final decision had been announced. The Washington Post later that month reported that the Trump administration contacted both Iraqi Kurdish political leaders and Iranian Kurdish opposition groups. According to the report, Trump offered U.S. air support and logistical assistance while urging Kurdish groups to participate in efforts to destabilise the Iranian government.