The text of the interview follows:
Al-Monitor: There has been no fighting between you and the Iranian government since 1997. However, a clash occurred recently and a member of your peshmerga forces, an Iranian commander and some soldiers were killed. How did this fighting start?
Azizi: First of all, I want to mention that we, as the KDPI, do not see war and fighting as a way to solve the Kurdish problem in eastern Kurdistan [Iranian Kurdish areas]. We believe that our problem will be solved in peaceful ways, democracy and negotiations. But following Iran’s attack against us, we had to respond. Our peshmerga forces have been present inside Iran for many years, but we never ordered them to fight or attack the Islamic Republic of Iran.
We informed them to only defend themselves in case they are attacked. Fighting is not our policy, but self-defense is. Our peshmerga would walk between Kurdish cities in Iran, while our members carried out [peaceful] summer and spring activities in Iran. This year, the Iranian government set ambushes for them, which triggered the fighting that led to the killing of Iranian soldiers and of one of our members.
Al-Monitor: So you did not attack them?
Azizi: Attacking Iranian positions is not our policy; our policy is to be among the people and defending ourselves. They [the Iranians] set ambushes for us.
Al-Monitor: If so, why have Kurdish media agencies published news that KDPI peshmerga forces killed Iranian soldiers?
Azizi: When we are hit by an ambush, fighting will occur; and whenever there is fighting, victims from both sides will fall. The Iranian media talks about the people who were killed during the recent fighting, and we also have information that Iranian victims were killed during this operation.
Al-Monitor: Where exactly did the fighting occur?
Azizi: On the outskirts of Mareewan, Shno and Sardasht [189 kilometers, or 117 miles, east of Erbil on the Iranian side of the Iraq-Iran border].
Al-Monitor: Iran has not set ambushes or launched attacks against you in recent years. Why now, while the region is on fire and Iran is involved in one way or another in the wars in Syria and Iraq?
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