Kurdish separatism in Iran: Difference between revisions

Kurdish separatism in Iran
Date	1918-1922, 1946, 2007-2011/present
Location	Iran
Result	Cease fire: Simko's tribal revolts suppressed; 1946 attempt to establish Republic of Mahabad failed; Cease fire between Iran and PJAK established in September 2011, but violated several times;
Belligerents
Imperial state of Iran Council of the Islamic Revolution Islamic Republic of Iran Army; Revolutionary Guards; Islamic Republican Party militia;	Shikak tribesemen supported by:; Ottomans File:Flag of the Republic of Mahabad.gif Republic of Mahabad supported by:; Soviet Union PJAK
Commanders and leaders
Reza Shah Pahlavi; Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi; Ali Razmara; Ali Khamenei; Mohammad Ali Jafari	Simko Shikak File:Flag of the Republic of Mahabad.gif Qazi Muhammad ; File:Flag of the Republic of Mahabad.gif Mustafa Barzani; File:Flag of the Republic of Mahabad.gif Ahmed Barzani; Ja'far Pishevari; Ahmad Kordary #; Salahuddin Kazimov Haji Ahmadi; Majid Kavian †; Murat Karasac †
Casualties and losses
	Total: ~7,500 casualties

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The Kurdish separatism in Iran^[1]^{[disputed – discuss]} refers to various unrelated events in modern Iranian history led by Kurdish individuals or organizations which movements have demanded separation from Iran. Earliest events sometimes described as separatist refers to revolts in today's West Azerbaijan Province prompted by aftermath of two World Wars and direct foreign involvement, and latest one implies PJAK insurrection in Western Iran started in 21th century. The government of Iran has never employed the same level of brutality against its own Kurds like Turkey or Iraq, but it has always been implacably opposed to any suggestion of Kurdish separatism.^[2] Unlike in other Kurdish-populated countries, there are strong ethnolinguistical and cultural ties between Kurds and Persians as Iranian peoples.^[2] Facts that Iran is not the product of imperial map-making^[3] and that Kurds share much of their history with the rest of Iran is seen as reason why Kurdish leaders in Iran do not want a separate Kurdish state.^[2]^[4] Also, large number of Kurds in Iran show no interest in Kurdish nationalism,^[2] especially Shia Kurds who even vigorously reject idea of autonomy, preferring direct rule from Tehran.^[2]^[5] Iranian national identity is questioned only in the peripheral Kurdish Sunni regions.^[3]

History

Simko's revolt (1918-1922)

Simko Shikak revolt refers to an armed Turkey-backed^[6]^[7] tribal Kurdish uprising against the Qajar dynasty of Iran from 1918-1922, led by Kurdish chieftain Simko Shikak from Turcophone Shekak tribe.^[8] This tribal rebellion is sometimes regarded as first major bid for establishing independent Kurdistan in Iran,^[9] but scholars see revolt as attempt by a powerful tribal chief to establish his personal authority vis-à-vis the central government throughout the region.^[4] Although elements of Kurdish nationalism were present in this movement, historians agree these were hardly articulate enough to justify a claim that recognition of Kurdish identity was a major issue in Simko's movement, and he had to rely heavily on conventional tribal motives.^[4] It lacked any kind of administrative organization and Simko was primary interesting in plunder.^[9] Government forces and non-Kurds were not the only ones to suffer in the attacks, the Kurdish population was also robbed and assaulted.^[4] Simko's men do not appear to have felt any sense of unity or solidarity with fellow Kurds.^[4] Historian Ervand Abrahamian calls Simko as "notorious" for massacring thousands Assyrians and harassing democrats,^[10] and Mehrdad Izady holds him responsible for killing Alevite Kurds.^[11] Still, Kurdish ethnicists today revere Simko as a "hero of independence".^[12]

Iran crisis of 1946

The danger of fragmentation in modern Iran became evident shortly after Second World War when Soviet Union's refused to relinquish occupied North Western Iranian territory.^[2] Iran crisis of 1946 included a separatist attempt of KDP-I and communist groups^[13] to establish the Soviet puppet government^[14]^[15]^[16] called Republic of Mahabad in Iranian Kurdistan (today's southern part of West Azerbaijan Province). It arose along with Azerbaijan People's Government, another Soviet puppet state.^[2]^[17] The state itself encompassed a very small territory, including Mahabad and the adjacent cities, unable to incorporate the southern Iranian Kurdistan which fell inside the Anglo-American zone, and unable to attract the tribes outside Mahabad itself to the nationalist cause.^[2] As a result, when the Soviets withdrew from Iran in December 1946, government forces were able to enter Mahabad unopposed.^[2] Several Marxist insurgencies continuted for decades led by KDP-I and Komala, but those two organization have never advocated a separate Kurdish state or greater Kurdistan as did the PKK in Turkey.^[4]^[5]^[18]^[19]

PJAK insurrection

Iran–PJAK conflict is a recent rebellion of PJAK in which hundreds Kurdish militants and Iranian forces and civilians have died, officially lasting since April 2004 until 2011. PJAK is based in the border area with Iraqi Kurdistan and is affiliated with the Marxist PKK from Turkey.^[20] Although sometimes described as organization demanding more human rights for Kurds in Iran, it has been regarded as separatist by Iranian media and various Western analysts.^[1]^[20]^[21] In one of the first actions of the Obama administration, PJAK was declared a terrorist organization.^[20]^[21] According to some analysts, PJAK do not pose any serious threat to the government of Iran.^[1] The activities of PJAK ended, following the 2011 Iranian offensive on PJAK bases and the consequent cease-fire, established on September 2011. A number of clashes between PJAK and IRGC took place after cease-fire.^[12]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Habeeb, William Mark; Frankel, Rafael D.; Al-Oraibi, Mina (2012). The Middle East in Turmoil: Conflict, Revolution, and Change. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 46. ISBN 9780313339141. OCLC 753913763.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Kreyenbroek, Philip G.; Sperl, Stefan (1992). The Kurds: A Contemporary Overview. London; New York: Routledge. pp. 17–19. ISBN 9780415072656. OCLC 24247652.
^ ^a ^b Abrahamian, Ervand (2008). A History of Modern Iran. Cambridge, U.K.; New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 195. ISBN 9780521528917. OCLC 171111098.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Kreyenbroek, Philip G.; Sperl, Stefan (1992). The Kurds: A Contemporary Overview. London; New York: Routledge. pp. 138–141. ISBN 9780415072656. OCLC 24247652.
^ ^a ^b Romano, David (2006). The Kurdish Nationalist Movement: Opportunity, Mobilization and Identity. Cambridge Middle East studies, 22. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 240. ISBN 9780521850414. OCLC 61425259.
^ Bruinessen, Martin (2006). "Chapter 5: A Kurdish warlord on the Turkish-Persian frontier in the early Twentieth century: Isma'il Aqa Simko". In Atabaki, Touraj (ed.). Iran and the First World War: Battleground of the Great Powers. Library of modern Middle East studies, 43. London; New York: I.B. Tauris. pp. 18–21. ISBN 9781860649646. OCLC 56455579. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
^ Allen, William Edward David; Muratoff, Paul (1953). Caucasian battlefields: A History of the Wars on the Turco-Caucasian border, 1828-1921. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 296. OCLC 1102813.
^ Oberling, Pierre (20 July 2004). "Kurdish Tribes". Encyclopædia Iranica. New York. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
^ ^a ^b Entessar, Nader (2010). Kurdish Politics in the Middle East. Lanham: Lexington Books. p. 17. ISBN 9780739140390. OCLC 430736528.
^ Abrahamian, Ervand (1982). Iran Between Two Revolutions. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 115. ISBN 9780691053424. OCLC 7975938.
^ Izady, Mehrdad (1992). The Kurds: A Concise Handbook. Washington: Crane Russak. p. 58. ISBN 9780844817293. OCLC 25409394.
^ ^a ^b Elling, Rasmus Christian (2013). Minorities in Iran: Nationalism and Ethnicity after Khomeini. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 312. ISBN 9780230115842. OCLC 714725127.
^ Zabih, Sepehr (December 15, 1992). Communism ii.. in Encyclopædia Iranica. New York: Columbia University
^ Romano, David (2006). The Kurdish Nationalist Movement: Opportunity, Mobilization and Identity. Cambridge Middle East studies, 22. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 227. ISBN 9780521850414. OCLC 61425259.
^ Chelkowski, Peter J.; Pranger, Robert J. (1988). Ideology and Power in the Middle East: Studies in Honor of George Lenczowski. Durham: Duke University Press. p. 399. ISBN 9780822307815. OCLC 16923212.
^ Abrahamian, Ervand (1982). Iran Between Two Revolutions. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. pp. 217–218. ISBN 9780691053424. OCLC 7975938.
^ Chubin, Shahram; Zabih, Sepehr (1974). The Foreign Relations of Iran: A Developing State in a Zone of Great-Power Conflict. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 39–41, 178. ISBN 9780520026834. OCLC 1219525.
^ Abrahamian, Ervand (1982). Iran Between Two Revolutions. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 453. ISBN 9780691053424. OCLC 7975938.
^ Yodfat, Aryeh (1984). The Soviet Union and Revolutionary Iran. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9780312749101. OCLC 9282694.
^ ^a ^b ^c Katzman, Kenneth (2009). Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security. New York: Nova Science Publishers. p. 32. ISBN 9781614701163. OCLC 756496931.
^ ^a ^b Lovelace, Douglas C. (2009). Terrorism: Documents of International and Local Control. Vol. 110. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 445. ISBN 9780195398151. OCLC 693185463.

[habeeb-1] Habeeb, William Mark; Frankel, Rafael D.; Al-Oraibi, Mina (2012). The Middle East in Turmoil: Conflict, Revolution, and Change. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 46. ISBN 9780313339141. OCLC 753913763.

[kreyenbroek1719-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Kreyenbroek, Philip G.; Sperl, Stefan (1992). The Kurds: A Contemporary Overview. London; New York: Routledge. pp. 17–19. ISBN 9780415072656. OCLC 24247652.

[abrahamian-3] Abrahamian, Ervand (2008). A History of Modern Iran. Cambridge, U.K.; New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 195. ISBN 9780521528917. OCLC 171111098.

[kreyenbroek138141-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Kreyenbroek, Philip G.; Sperl, Stefan (1992). The Kurds: A Contemporary Overview. London; New York: Routledge. pp. 138–141. ISBN 9780415072656. OCLC 24247652.

[romano240-5] Romano, David (2006). The Kurdish Nationalist Movement: Opportunity, Mobilization and Identity. Cambridge Middle East studies, 22. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 240. ISBN 9780521850414. OCLC 61425259.

[bruinessen-6] Bruinessen, Martin (2006). "Chapter 5: A Kurdish warlord on the Turkish-Persian frontier in the early Twentieth century: Isma'il Aqa Simko". In Atabaki, Touraj (ed.). Iran and the First World War: Battleground of the Great Powers. Library of modern Middle East studies, 43. London; New York: I.B. Tauris. pp. 18–21. ISBN 9781860649646. OCLC 56455579. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)

[7] Allen, William Edward David; Muratoff, Paul (1953). Caucasian battlefields: A History of the Wars on the Turco-Caucasian border, 1828-1921. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 296. OCLC 1102813.

[8] Oberling, Pierre (20 July 2004). "Kurdish Tribes". Encyclopædia Iranica. New York. Retrieved 6 August 2013.

[entessar-9] Entessar, Nader (2010). Kurdish Politics in the Middle East. Lanham: Lexington Books. p. 17. ISBN 9780739140390. OCLC 430736528.

[10] Abrahamian, Ervand (1982). Iran Between Two Revolutions. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 115. ISBN 9780691053424. OCLC 7975938.

[11] Izady, Mehrdad (1992). The Kurds: A Concise Handbook. Washington: Crane Russak. p. 58. ISBN 9780844817293. OCLC 25409394.

[elling-12] Elling, Rasmus Christian (2013). Minorities in Iran: Nationalism and Ethnicity after Khomeini. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 312. ISBN 9780230115842. OCLC 714725127.

[13] Zabih, Sepehr (December 15, 1992). Communism ii.. in Encyclopædia Iranica. New York: Columbia University

[14] Romano, David (2006). The Kurdish Nationalist Movement: Opportunity, Mobilization and Identity. Cambridge Middle East studies, 22. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 227. ISBN 9780521850414. OCLC 61425259.

[15] Chelkowski, Peter J.; Pranger, Robert J. (1988). Ideology and Power in the Middle East: Studies in Honor of George Lenczowski. Durham: Duke University Press. p. 399. ISBN 9780822307815. OCLC 16923212.

[16] Abrahamian, Ervand (1982). Iran Between Two Revolutions. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. pp. 217–218. ISBN 9780691053424. OCLC 7975938.

[17] Chubin, Shahram; Zabih, Sepehr (1974). The Foreign Relations of Iran: A Developing State in a Zone of Great-Power Conflict. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 39–41, 178. ISBN 9780520026834. OCLC 1219525.

[18] Abrahamian, Ervand (1982). Iran Between Two Revolutions. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 453. ISBN 9780691053424. OCLC 7975938.

[19] Yodfat, Aryeh (1984). The Soviet Union and Revolutionary Iran. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9780312749101. OCLC 9282694.

[katzman-20] Katzman, Kenneth (2009). Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security. New York: Nova Science Publishers. p. 32. ISBN 9781614701163. OCLC 756496931.

[lovelace-21] Lovelace, Douglas C. (2009). Terrorism: Documents of International and Local Control. Vol. 110. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 445. ISBN 9780195398151. OCLC 693185463.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Disputed title|alternate title=Kurdish insurgency in modern Iran|date=August 2013}}
-{{Refimprove|date=August 2012}}
-{{Disputed|date=August 2013}}
-{{POV|date=August 2012}}
 {{Infobox military conflict
 |conflict=Kurdish separatism in Iran
@@ Line 8: / Line 5: @@
 |image=
 |caption=
+|date=1918-1922, 1946, 2007-2011/present
-|date=1918-present<ref name=cornell10>Benjamin Smith. ''Land and Rebellion:
-Kurdish Separatism in Comparative Perspective''.P.10. "The Kurds of Iran: Opportunistic and Failed Resistance, 1918‐". [http://government.arts.cornell.edu/assets/psac/sp09/Smith_Kurdish_Separatism_Feb09_PSAC.pdf]</ref><ref name=noi>AYLIN ÜNVER NOI. ''The Arab Spring - its effects on the Kurds and the approaches of Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq on the Kurdish issue.'' Gloria Center. 1 July 2012. "There is a long history of tension between the Kurds and the government in Iran. This began with Reza Shah Pahlavi recapturing the lands that Kurdish leaders had gained control of between 1918 and 1922."; "Iran fears that the creation of a semi-autonomous state in northern Iraq might motivate its own Kurdish minority to press for greater independence. However, Iran’s concern about Kurdish separatism does not approach the level of Turkey’s concern. Still, there have been repeated clashes between Kurds and Iranian security forces" [http://www.gloria-center.org/2012/07/the-arab-spring-its-effects-on-the-kurds-and-the-approaches-of-turkey-iran-syria-and-iraq-on-the-kurdish-issue/]</ref><ref name="elling">{{cite book|last=Elling|first=Rasmus Christian|title=Minorities in Iran: Nationalism and Ethnicity after Khomeini|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|location=New York|year=2013|isbn=9780230115842|oclc=714725127}}</ref><br>
-(main phase 1943<ref name=uarkansas/><ref>[http://www.ucdp.uu.se/gpdatabase/gpcountry.php?id=76&regionSelect=10-Middle_East#]</ref>-present)<ref name=uarkansas>University of Arkansas. Political Science department. Iran/Kurds (1943-present). Retrieved 09 September 2012. [http://uca.edu/politicalscience/dadm-project/middle-eastnorth-africapersian-gulf-region/irankurds-1943-present/]</ref>
 |place=[[Iran]]
 |result=Cease fire:
-* Several Kurdish revolts suppressed
+* [[Simko Shikak|Simko]]'s tribal revolts suppressed
 * 1946 attempt to establish [[Republic of Mahabad]] failed
+* Cease fire between Iran and [[PJAK]] established in September 2011, but violated several times
-* KDPI refrain from violence in 1996
-* Political crackdown on Kurdish associations in Iran<ref>Iran: Freedom of Expression and Association in the Kurdish Regions. 2009. "This 42-page report documents how Iranian authorities use security laws, press laws, and other legislation to arrest and prosecute Iranian Kurds solely for trying to exercise their right to freedom of expression and association. The use of these laws to suppress basic rights, while not new, has greatly intensified since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power in August 2005." [http://www.hrw.org/reports/2009/01/08/iran-freedom-expression-and-association-kurdish-regions]</ref>
-* Cease fire between Iran and PJAK established in September 2011, but violated several times
 |combatant1 ={{flagicon|Iran|1925}} Imperial state of Iran
 ----
@@ Line 24: / Line 17: @@
 *[[Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution|Revolutionary Guards]]
 *[[Islamic Republican Party]] militia
-|combatant2=Shikak tribesemen<br>
+|combatant2=Shikak tribesemen
-''Supported by:''<br>
+''supported by:''<br/>
-{{flag|Ottoman Empire}}
+{{flagicon|Ottoman Empire}} Ottomans
 ----
 {{flagicon image|Flag of the Republic of Mahabad.gif}} [[Republic of Mahabad]]
 ''supported by:''<br/>
 {{flag|Soviet Union}}
-----
-{{flagicon image|Flag of KDP-I.png}} [[Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan|KDP-I]]<br/>
-[[Komalah]]<br>
-[[Union of Communist Militants]]<br>
-[[Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas|IPFG]]<br>
-{{flagicon image|People's Mujahedeen of Iran logo.png}} [[Mujahedin e-Kalq]]<br>
 ----
 {{flagicon image|Drapeau du Parti pour une vie libre au Kurdistan - PJAK.png}} [[PJAK]]
@@ Line 43: / Line 30: @@
 {{flagicon|Iran|1925}} [[Ali Razmara]]<br/>
 ----
-{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Ruhollah Khomeini]]<br>
+{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Ali Khamenei]]<br/>
-{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Abulhassan Banisadr]]<br>
+{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Mohammad Ali Jafari]]
-{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Mohsen Rezaee]]<br>
-{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Ali Sayad Shirazi]]<br>
-{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Sadegh Khalkhali]]<br>
-{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Qasim Ali Zahir Nejad]]<br>
-{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Naser kazemi]] {{KIA}}<br>
-{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Mostafa Chamran]]<br>
-{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Mohammad Boroujerdi]] {{KIA}}<br>
-{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Mahmoud Kaveh]]<br>
-{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Hamid Bakeri]]<br>
-{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Mehdi Bakeri]]<br>
-{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Mohammad Vali Gharani]]<br>
-{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Ahmad Motevaselian]]
 |commander2=[[Simko Shikak]]
 ----
@@ Line 62: / Line 37: @@
 {{flagicon image|Flag of the Republic of Mahabad.gif}} [[Mustafa Barzani]]<br/>
 {{flagicon image|Flag of the Republic of Mahabad.gif}} [[Ahmed Barzani]]<br/>
+{{flagicon image|Azerbaijan people's government flag.svg}} [[Ja'far Pishevari]]<br/>
-----
-{{flagicon image|Flag of KDP-I.png}} [[Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou]]{{KIA}}<br>
+{{flagicon image|Azerbaijan people's government flag.svg}} [[Ahmad Kordary]] [[POW|#]]<br/>
-{{flagicon image|Flag of KDP-I.png}} [[Sadegh Sharafkandi]]{{KIA}}<br>
+{{flagicon|Soviet Union}} Salahuddin Kazimov
-[[Ahmad Moftizadeh]]<br>
-[[Mansoor Hekmat]]<br>
-[[Ashraf Dehghani]]<br>
-[[Massoud Rajavi]]
 ----
 {{flagicon image|Drapeau du Parti pour une vie libre au Kurdistan - PJAK.png}} [[Haji Ahmadi]]<br>
@@ Line 76: / Line 47: @@
 |strength2=
 |casualties1=
+|casualties2=
-|casualties2=4,000 killed (1980-2000)<ref name=hicks2000/><br>(KDP-I Claim)
-|casualties3='''KDP-I Claim''':<br>
+|casualties3='''Total: ~7,500 casualties'''
-,000 civilians killed (1980-2000)<ref name=hicks2000>Hicks, Neil. ''The human rights of Kurds in the Islamic Republic of Iran'', April 2000. [http://www1.american.edu/cgp/pdf/hicks.pdf]</ref><br>
-'''Total: 34,000+ casualties'''
 }}
-{{Campaignbox Kurdish separatism in Iran}}
+{{Campaignbox Kurdish insurgency in Iran}}
+The '''Kurdish separatism in Iran'''<ref name=habeeb>{{cite book|last1=Habeeb|first1=William Mark|last2=Frankel|first2=Rafael D.|last3=Al-Oraibi|first3=Mina|title=The Middle East in Turmoil: Conflict, Revolution, and Change|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]]|location=Santa Barbara|year=2012|page=46|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=9ENuHIJEqZIC&pg=PA46&lpg=PA46|isbn=9780313339141|oclc=753913763}}</ref>{{Disputed-inline|date=August 2013}} refers to various unrelated events in modern [[Iranian history]] led by [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] individuals or organizations which movements have demanded [[Separatism|separation]] from [[Iran]]. Earliest events sometimes described as separatist refers to revolts in today's [[West Azerbaijan Province]] prompted by aftermath of two [[World Wars]] and direct foreign involvement, and latest one implies [[PJAK]] insurrection in Western Iran started in 21th century. The [[government of Iran]] has never employed the same level of brutality against its own [[Kurds]] like [[Turkey]] or [[Iraq]], but it has always been implacably opposed to any suggestion of Kurdish separatism.<ref name="kreyenbroek1719">{{cite book|last1=Kreyenbroek|first1=Philip G.|last2=Sperl|first2=Stefan|title=The Kurds: A Contemporary Overview|publisher=[[Routledge]]|location=London; New York|pages=17–19|year=1992|isbn=9780415072656|oclc=24247652}}</ref> Unlike in other Kurdish-populated countries, there are strong ethnolinguistical and cultural ties between [[Kurds]] and [[Persians]] as [[Iranian peoples]].<ref name="kreyenbroek1719"/> Facts that Iran is not the product of imperial map-making<ref name="abrahamian">{{cite book|last=Abrahamian|first=Ervand|authorlink=Ervand Abrahamian|title=A History of Modern Iran|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|location=Cambridge, U.K.; New York|year=2008|page=195|isbn=9780521528917|oclc=171111098}}</ref> and that Kurds share much of their history with the rest of Iran is seen as reason why Kurdish leaders in Iran do not want a separate Kurdish state.<ref name="kreyenbroek1719"/><ref name="kreyenbroek138141">{{cite book|last1=Kreyenbroek|first1=Philip G.|last2=Sperl|first2=Stefan|title=The Kurds: A Contemporary Overview|publisher=[[Routledge]]|location=London; New York|pages=138–141|year=1992|isbn=9780415072656|oclc=24247652}}</ref> Also, large number of Kurds in Iran show no interest in [[Kurdish nationalism]],<ref name="kreyenbroek1719"/> especially [[Shia]] Kurds who even vigorously reject idea of autonomy, preferring direct rule from [[Tehran]].<ref name="kreyenbroek1719"/><ref name="romano240">{{cite book|last=Romano|first=David|title=The Kurdish Nationalist Movement: Opportunity, Mobilization and Identity|series=Cambridge Middle East studies, 22.|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|location=Cambridge, UK; New York|year=2006|page=240|isbn=9780521850414|oclc=61425259}}</ref> Iranian national identity is questioned only in the peripheral Kurdish Sunni regions.<ref name="abrahamian"/>
-The '''Kurdish separatism in Iran'''<ref>Itzkowitz Shifrinson, J.R. ''The Kurds and Regional Security: An Evaluation of Developments since the Iraq War''."More indicative of the PKK’s growing power was its 2004 establishment of the Party for a Free Life in Iranian Kurdistan (PEJAK or PJAK) as a sister organization with the goal of fomenting Kurdish separatism in Iran by fostering Kurdish nationalism therein." [http://web.mit.edu/polisci/people/gradstudents/papers/shifrinson.MEB14-1.pdf]</ref><ref name=habeeb/><ref name=cornell10/><ref name="elling">{{cite book|last=Elling|first=Rasmus Christian|title=Minorities in Iran: Nationalism and Ethnicity after Khomeini|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|location=New York|year=2013|isbn=9780230115842|oclc=714725127|page=312}} "... having opposed the disintegrative movements by ethnic groups as a matter of principle and being sensitive to the potential of a broader trans-territorial Kurdish separatist movement affecting her own territory, Iran has been quite... "</ref>{{Disputed-inline|date=August 2013}}, '''Kurdish insurgency in Iran'''<ref name="elling"/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Chubin|first1=Shahram|authorlink1=Shahram Chubin|last2=Zabih|first2=Sepehr|title=The Foreign Relations of Iran: A Developing State in a Zone of Great-Power Conflict|year=1974|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|location=Berkeley|isbn=9780520026834|oclc=1219525|page=312}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Hiltermann|first=Joost R.|title=A Poisonous Affair: America, Iraq, and the Gassing of Halabja|year=2007|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|location=New York City|isbn=9780521876865|oclc=77831064|page=162}}</ref>, or the '''Kurdish–Iranian conflict'''<ref>[http://books.google.co.il/books?id=kfHCAAAAIAAJ&q=%22kurdish+iranian+conflict%22&dq=%22kurdish+iranian+conflict%22&source=bl&ots=ovEYg6kwcK&sig=TBoRnNW9Gn2VFuM1b1njN1xhgOY&hl=iw&sa=X&ei=KgIwUJfSMKLB0QWCvIHoDA&redir_esc=y ''Contemporary Gulf''. 1980]</ref><ref>[http://books.google.co.il/books?id=VuG5AAAAIAAJ&q=%22kurdish+iranian+conflict%22&dq=%22kurdish+iranian+conflict%22&source=bl&ots=rsUq0qaaoN&sig=b3e4vSmtNQYJwWPtLizCeLdL3as&hl=iw&sa=X&ei=KgIwUJfSMKLB0QWCvIHoDA&redir_esc=y ''Near East, North Africa report.'' 1994]</ref> is an ongoing,<ref name=cornell10/><ref name=habeeb/><ref name=uarkansas/><ref name="elling"/> long running, dispute between the Kurdish opposition in Western Iran and the governments of Iran,<ref name=habeeb>William Mark Habeeb, Rafael D. Frankel, Mina Al-Oraibi. ''The Middle East in Turmoil: Conflict, Revolution, and Change.'' ABC-CLIO publishing. P.46. [http://books.google.co.il/books?id=9ENuHIJEqZIC&pg=PA46&lpg=PA46&dq=%22kurdish+separatism+in+Iran%22+-wikipedia&source=bl&ots=unrT-yQjFi&sig=1KZhMJplZheteZXeRF1zdIPycSo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rSsdUJfzJu-T0QWV-YHQBw&ved=0CFUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22kurdish%20separatism%20in%20Iran%22%20-wikipedia&f=false]</ref> lasting since the emergence of Pahlavi Reza Shah in 1918.<ref name=cornell10/> Some put the starting point of the organized Kurdish separatism to 1943,<ref name=uarkansas>University of Arkansas. Political Science department. Iran/Kurds (1943-present). Retrieved 09 September 2012. [http://uca.edu/politicalscience/dadm-project/middle-eastnorth-africapersian-gulf-region/irankurds-1943-present/]</ref> when Komala and shortly KDPI parties began their political activities in Iran, aiming to gain self-rule in Kurdish regions.
-The conflict caused great damage to the Iranian Kurdistan and its people,<ref name=hicks1>Hicks, N. ''The Human Rights of Kurds in the Islamic Republic of Iran''. April 2000. "Along with the dead, there have been many other casualties; tens of thousands of people imprisoned; hundreds of villages destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people displaced. The local economy of an already under-developed region has been severely damaged by the conflict, as of course has the Iranian economy as a whole." [http://www1.american.edu/cgp/pdf/hicks.pdf]</ref> failing however to gain any success in the separatist struggle for Kurdish autonomy.<ref name=habeeb/> The conflict were often finalized with a bloody outcome.{{citation needed|date=February 2013}} The beginning of the struggle is often dated to post-World War I events in then Qajar Persia. Some 5,000 people,{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} including many Assyrian civilians,{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} died in the [[Simko Shikak revolt]] between 1918 and 1922. The direct conflict of Simko with Iran escalated in 1920, but he was eventually defeated by Reza Khan. Simko's [[1926 Shikak revolt|second rebellion]] was defeated by central government in 1926,<ref name=cornell10/> while another Kurdish tribal revolt by Jafar Sultan was put down in 1931.
-Transformation from tribal to Kurdish nationalist struggle in Iran took place in the aftermath of World War II. The boldest separatist attempt of the [[Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran]] (KDPI) took place in 1946, when nearly 1,000 died in the [[Republic of Mahabad|Mahabad]] arena of the [[Iran crisis of 1946|1946 Iran crisis]].<ref name=uarkansas/> The Soviet supported attempt to establish a Kurdish state in Western Iran eventually failed.<ref name=uarkansas/><ref>''The Kurdish Warrior Tradition and
-the Importance of the Peshmerga''. p.27-28. [http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/etd-11142005-144616/unrestricted/003Manuscript.pdf]</ref> More than a decade later, in violent tribal uprisings,<ref name=uarkansas/> launched with KDPI support through in 1966-7, Kurdish regions suffered a major blow, with KDPI reducing its activity up until the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
-In the most violent episode of the conflict, more than 30,000 Kurds died starting with the [[1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran|1979 rebellion]] and the consequent [[KDPI insurgency (1989-1996)|KDPI insurgency]] of early 1990s.<ref name=hicks2000/> Violent struggle in Kurdish regions of West Iran re-emerged in 2004 as the still ongoing [[Iran-PJAK conflict|PJAK rebellion]], in which hundreds Kurdish militants and Iranian forces and civilians have died. Though a cease-fire between Iran and PJAK was established in September 2011, several deadly clashes have followed in 2012 and 2013.
 ==History==
-===1918-1922 Simko Shikak revolt===
+===Simko's revolt (1918-1922)===
+{{main|Simko Shikak revolt}}
-[[Simko Shikak revolt]] was a rebellion by Kurdish tribes, led by [[Simko Shikak]] from 1918 until 1922. Since 1920, the rebellious Simko entered the conflict with Iranian leadership with the emergence of the Pahlavi Reza Shah.<ref name=cornell>Smith B. ''Land and Rebellion: Kurdish Separatism in Comparative Perspective.'' [http://government.arts.cornell.edu/assets/psac/sp09/Smith_Kurdish_Separatism_Feb09_PSAC.pdf]</ref>
+[[Simko Shikak revolt]] refers to an armed [[Turkey]]-backed<ref name="bruinessen">{{cite book|last=Bruinessen|first=Martin|authorlink=Martin van Bruinessen|editor1-last=Atabaki|editor1-first=Touraj|editor1-link=Touraj Atabaki|chapter=Chapter 5: A Kurdish warlord on the Turkish-Persian frontier in the early Twentieth century: Isma'il Aqa Simko|title=Iran and the First World War: Battleground of the Great Powers|series=Library of modern Middle East studies, 43|publisher=[[I.B. Tauris]]|location=London; New York|pages=18–21|chapterurl=http://www.academia.edu/3555229/A_Kurdish_Warlord_on_the_Turkish-Persian_Frontier_in_the_Early_Twentieth_Century_Ismail_Agha_Simko|year=2006|isbn=9781860649646|oclc=56455579}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Allen|first1=William Edward David|last2=Muratoff|first2=Paul|title=Caucasian battlefields: A History of the Wars on the Turco-Caucasian border, 1828-1921|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|location=Cambridge|pages=296|year=1953|oclc=1102813}}</ref> tribal Kurdish uprising against the [[Qajar dynasty]] of [[Iran]] from 1918-1922, led by [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] chieftain [[Simko Shikak]] from Turcophone [[Shekak]] tribe.<ref>{{cite web|last=Oberling|first=Pierre|title=Kurdish Tribes|work=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]]|location=New York|url=http://www.iranica.com/articles/kurdish-tribes|date=20 July 2004|accessdate=6 August 2013}}</ref> This tribal rebellion is sometimes regarded as first major bid for establishing independent [[Kurdistan]] in [[Iran]],<ref name="entessar">{{cite book|last=Entessar|first=Nader|title=Kurdish Politics in the Middle East|publisher=[[Lexington Books]]|location=Lanham|page=17|year=2010|isbn=9780739140390|oclc=430736528}}</ref> but scholars see revolt as attempt by a powerful tribal chief to establish his personal authority vis-à-vis the central government throughout the [[Iranian Kurdistan|region]].<ref name="kreyenbroek138141"/> Although elements of [[Kurdish nationalism]] were present in this movement, historians agree these were hardly articulate enough to justify a claim that recognition of Kurdish identity was a major issue in Simko's movement, and he had to rely heavily on conventional tribal motives.<ref name="kreyenbroek138141"/> It lacked any kind of administrative organization and Simko was primary interesting in [[plunder]].<ref name="entessar"/> [[Pahlavi dynasty|Government]] forces and non-Kurds were not the only ones to suffer in the attacks, the [[Kurdish population]] was also robbed and assaulted.<ref name="kreyenbroek138141"/> Simko's men do not appear to have felt any sense of unity or solidarity with fellow Kurds.<ref name="kreyenbroek138141"/> Historian [[Ervand Abrahamian]] calls Simko as "notorious" for [[Assyrian genocide|massacring thousands Assyrians]] and harassing democrats,<ref>{{cite book|last=Abrahamian|first=Ervand|authorlink=Ervand Abrahamian|title=Iran Between Two Revolutions|year=1982|publisher=[[Princeton University Press]]|location=Princeton, New Jersey|page=115|isbn=9780691053424|oclc=7975938}}</ref> and [[Mehrdad Izady]] holds him responsible for killing [[Alevite]] Kurds.<ref>{{cite book|last=Izady|first=Mehrdad|title=The Kurds: A Concise Handbook|publisher=Crane Russak|location=Washington|year=1992|page=58|isbn=9780844817293|oclc=25409394}}</ref> Still, [[Kurdish nationalism|Kurdish ethnicists]] today revere Simko as a "hero of independence".<ref name="elling">{{cite book|last=Elling|first=Rasmus Christian|title=Minorities in Iran: Nationalism and Ethnicity after Khomeini|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|location=New York|year=2013|page=312|isbn=9780230115842|oclc=714725127}}</ref>
-===1926 Simko rebellion in Iran===
+===Iran crisis of 1946===
+{{main|Iran crisis of 1946|Republic of Mahabad}}
-By 1926, Simko had regained control of his tribe and begun another outright rebellion against the state.<ref name=cornell/> When the army engaged him, half of his troops defected to the tribe’s previous leader and Simqu fled to Iraq.<ref name=cornell/>
+The danger of fragmentation in modern Iran became evident shortly after [[Second World War]] when [[Soviet Union]]'s refused to relinquish [[Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran|occupied]] North Western Iranian territory.<ref name="kreyenbroek1719"/> [[Iran crisis of 1946]] included a separatist attempt of [[KDP-I]] and [[communist]] groups<ref>Zabih, Sepehr (December 15, 1992). [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/communism-ii Communism ii.]. in [[Encyclopædia Iranica]]. New York: Columbia University</ref> to establish the [[USSR|Soviet]] [[puppet government]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Romano|first=David|title=The Kurdish Nationalist Movement: Opportunity, Mobilization and Identity|series=Cambridge Middle East studies, 22.|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|location=Cambridge, UK; New York|year=2006|page=227|isbn=9780521850414|oclc=61425259}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Chelkowski|first1=Peter J.|last2=Pranger|first2=Robert J.|title=Ideology and Power in the Middle East: Studies in Honor of George Lenczowski|publisher=Duke University Press|location=Durham|year=1988|page=399|isbn=9780822307815|oclc=16923212}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Abrahamian|first=Ervand|authorlink=Ervand Abrahamian|title=Iran Between Two Revolutions|publisher=[[Princeton University Press]]|location=Princeton, N.J.|year=1982|pages=217–218|isbn=9780691053424|oclc=7975938}}</ref> called [[Republic of Mahabad]] in [[Iranian Kurdistan]] (today's southern part of [[West Azerbaijan Province]]). It arose along with [[Azerbaijan People's Government]], another Soviet puppet state.<ref name="kreyenbroek1719"/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Chubin|first1=Shahram|authorlink1=Shahram Chubin|last2=Zabih|first2=Sepehr|title=The Foreign Relations of Iran: A Developing State in a Zone of Great-Power Conflict|year=1974|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|pages=39–41, 178|location=Berkeley|isbn=9780520026834|oclc=1219525}}</ref> The state itself encompassed a very small territory, including [[Mahabad]] and the adjacent cities, unable to incorporate the southern Iranian Kurdistan which fell inside the Anglo-American zone, and unable to attract the tribes outside Mahabad itself to the nationalist cause.<ref name="kreyenbroek1719"/> As a result, when the Soviets withdrew from Iran in December 1946, government forces were able to enter Mahabad unopposed.<ref name="kreyenbroek1719"/> Several [[Marxist]] insurgencies continuted for decades led by [[KDP-I]] and [[Komala]], but those two organization have never advocated a separate Kurdish state or greater Kurdistan as did the [[PKK]] in [[Turkey]].<ref name="kreyenbroek138141"/><ref name="romano240"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Abrahamian|first=Ervand|authorlink=Ervand Abrahamian|title=Iran Between Two Revolutions|year=1982|publisher=[[Princeton University Press]]|location=Princeton, New Jersey|page=453|isbn=9780691053424|oclc=7975938}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Yodfat|first=Aryeh|title=The Soviet Union and Revolutionary Iran|publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]]|location=New York|year=1984|isbn=9780312749101|oclc=9282694}}</ref>
-===Jaafar Sultan revolt===
-Jaafar Sultan of [[Hewraman]] region took control of the region between [[Marivan]] and north of [[Halabja]] and remained independent until 1925. Despite the Persian attempts to subdue him under the central rule, the tribal leader revolted in 1931, but was effectively crushed.
-===Republic of Mahabad (1946)===
-[[Iran crisis of 1946]] included a separatist attempt of KDPI to establish the independent [[Republic of Mahabad]] in Iranian Kurdistan.<ref name=uarkansas/> The attempt failed with military victory of the Iranian forces and the Kurdush Republic was abolished. Some 1,000 died during the crisis.<ref name=uarkansas/>
-===1967 Kurdish revolt===
-{{main|1967 Kurdish revolt in Iran}}
-In mid-1960s a series of Kurdish tribal disturbances erupted in Western Iran, fed up by the revival of the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDP-I).<ref name="cornell10"/> In 1967-8 Iranian government troops suppressed a Kurdish revolt in Western Iran,<ref name=uarkansas/> consolidating the previous Kurdish uprisings in Mahabad-Urumiya region.
-===1979 rebellion===
-[[1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran]] was an insurrection led by the KDPI and its allies in Iranian Kurdistan, which became the most violent rebellion against the new Iranian regime, following the Islamic Revolution. The rebellion ended in December 1982, with 10,000 killed and 200,000 displaced.<ref name=uarkansas/>
-===KDPI insurgency===
-[[KDPI insurgency (1989-1996)|Insurrection]] by the KDPI took place in Iranian Kurdistan through early and mid-90s, initiated by assassination of its leader in exile in July 1989. The insurrection ended in 1996, as KDPI announced a unilateral cease fire.{{citation needed|date=February 2013}}
 ===PJAK insurrection===
+{{main|Iran–PJAK conflict|Terrorism in Iran}}
-[[Iran–PJAK conflict]] is a recent rebellion of PJAK, lasting since April 2004 until present.<ref name=uarkansas/> PJAK is based in the border area with Iraqi Kurdistan and is affiliated with the PKK. The PJAK goal is an establishment of a Kurdish autonomy and they do not pose any serious threat to the regime of the Islamic Republic.<ref name=habeeb/> The activities of PJAK ended, following the 2011 Iranian offensive on PJAK bases and the consequent cease-fire, established on September 2011. The cease-fire was violated twice in 2012. A number of clashes between PJAK and IRGC took place also in May 2013, with at least 2 Iranian soldiers killed.<ref>Sardasht-ag.ir [http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=fa&ie=UTF-8&u=http://sardasht-ag.ir/tabid/1032/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/27730/-2-------.aspx&sl=fa&tl=en]</ref>
+[[Iran–PJAK conflict]] is a recent rebellion of [[PJAK]] in which hundreds Kurdish militants and Iranian forces and civilians have died, officially lasting since April 2004 until 2011. PJAK is based in the border area with [[Iraqi Kurdistan]] and is affiliated with the Marxist [[PKK]] from [[Turkey]].<ref name="katzman">{{cite book|last=Katzman|first=Kenneth|title=Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security|publisher=[[Nova Science Publishers]]|location=New York|year=2009|page=32|isbn=9781614701163|oclc=756496931}}</ref> Although sometimes described as organization demanding more human rights for Kurds in Iran, it has been regarded as separatist by [[Iranian media]] and various Western analysts.<ref name=habeeb/><ref name="katzman"/><ref name="lovelace">{{cite book|last=Lovelace|first=Douglas C.|title=Terrorism: Documents of International and Local Control|volume=110|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|location=New York|year=2009|page=445|isbn=9780195398151|oclc=693185463}}</ref> In one of the first actions of the [[Obama administration]], PJAK was declared a [[terrorist organization]].<ref name="katzman"/><ref name="lovelace"/> According to some analysts, PJAK do not pose any serious threat to the government of Iran.<ref name=habeeb/> The activities of PJAK ended, following the 2011 Iranian offensive on PJAK bases and the consequent cease-fire, established on September 2011. A number of clashes between PJAK and IRGC took place after [[cease-fire]].<ref name="elling"/>
 ==See also==
@@ Line 126: / Line 75: @@
 ==References==
 {{Reflist|30em}}
-==External links==
-*[http://pjak.org PJAK website] (in [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Sorani]] and English)
-*[http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/jir/jir060628_1_n.shtml Extract from article about Kurdish Iranian militants] 28 June 2006
 {{Middle East conflicts}}
-[[Category:Kurdistan independence movement]]
-[[Category:Secession in Iran]]
 [[Category:History of the Kurdish people]]
 [[Category:Wars involving Iran]]
+[[Category:History of West Azerbaijan Province]]
+[[Category:Secession in Iran]]
 [[Category:Kurdish protests and rebellions]]

v t e List of modern conflicts in the Middle East
1910s	Italo-Turkish War World War I Middle Eastern theatre Battle of Robat Karim Arab Revolt Armenian genocide Assyrian genocide Mount Lebanon starvation Unification of Saudi Arabia Simko Shikak revolt 1919 Egyptian revolution Turkish War of Independence Anglo-Turkish War Al-Jazeera Front Greco-Turkish War Turkish–Armenian War Franco-Turkish War Revolts United States Mahmud Barzanji revolts
1920s	Franco-Syrian War Iraqi Revolt (1920) Intercommunal conflict in Mandatory Palestine Adwan Rebellion Arab separatism in Khuzestan Great Syrian Revolt Sheikh Said rebellion
1930s	Ararat rebellion Ahmed Barzani revolt Simele massacre Saudi–Yemeni War (1934) Goharshad Mosque rebellion 1935–1936 Iraqi Shia revolts 1935 Yazidi revolt 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine Dersim rebellion
1940s	World War II Italian bombing of Palestine Allied invasion of Iraq Syria–Lebanon campaign Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran 1943 Barzani revolt Al-Waziri coup Al-Wathbah uprising Kurdish separatism in Iran Iran crisis of 1946 Arab–Israeli conflict 1948 Arab–Israeli War Suez Crisis 1967 Six-Day War 1973 Yom Kippur War 1982 Lebanon War
1950s	1952 Egyptian revolution 1953 Iranian coup d'état Jebel Akhdar War Cyprus Emergency Suez Crisis Yemeni–Adenese clan violence 1958 Lebanon crisis 1958 Iraqi revolution 1959 Mosul uprising
1960s	Cyprus crisis of 1963–1964 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict First Iraqi–Kurdish War Second Iraqi–Kurdish War Dhofar Rebellion North Yemen civil war Feb. 1963 Iraqi coup Mar. 1963 Syrian coup Nov. 1963 Iraqi coup Aden Emergency 1964 Hama riot Israeli–Palestinian conflict 1948 Palestine war First Intifada Second Intifada 1966 Syrian coup d'état
1970s	Black September in Jordan Yemenite War of 1972 Turkish invasion of Cyprus Shatt al-Arab clashes Lebanese Civil War Political violence in Turkey Islamist uprising in Syria 1977 Shia uprising in Iraq NDF Rebellion Yemenite War of 1979 Iranian Revolution Consolidation of the Iranian Revolution 1979 Qatif Uprising Grand Mosque seizure 1979–1980 Shia uprising in Iraq
1980s	Iran–Iraq War 1980 Turkish coup d'état Kurdish–Turkish conflict Turkey–PKK conflict South Yemen civil war 1986 Egyptian conscripts riot 1986 Damascus bombings 1987 Sharjawi coup d'état attempt Mecca massacre Abu Nidal's executions
1990s	Gulf War (1990–1991) 1991 Iraqi uprisings Terror campaign in Egypt (1990s) Yemeni Civil War (1994) Iraqi Kurdish Civil War Islamic insurgency in Saudi Arabia (2000–present) Operation Desert Fox al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen 1999 Shia uprising in Iraq
2000s	Iraq War Balochi insurgency in Iran 2004 Qamishli riots Houthi insurgency in Yemen Iran–Israel proxy conflict 2006 Lebanon War Fatah–Hamas conflict South Yemen insurgency
2010s	2011 Bahraini uprising Egyptian Crisis Sinai insurgency Insurgency in Egypt (2013–present) Syrian civil war Turkish involvement in Syria Syrian War spillover in Lebanon Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013) War in Iraq (2013–2017) Islamic State insurgency in Iraq (2017–present) Yemeni crisis Yemeni civil war (2014–present)
2020s	2021 Beirut clashes Israel–Hamas war Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present) Red Sea crisis
This list includes World War I and later conflicts (after 1914) of at least 100 fatalities each Prolonged conflicts are listed in the decade when initiated; ongoing conflicts are marked italic, and conflicts with +100,000 killed with bold.