Piranshahr is one of Iran’s border cities, located in West Azerbaijan Province. During the Iran-Iraq War, it was repeatedly attacked by Iraqi forces and anti-revolutionary groups. The county serves as a connection route to cities such as Urmia, Paveh, Naqadeh, Sardasht, and Mahabad.

The Piranshahr County covers an area of 2,259 square kilometers, and in the 2006 census, its population was recorded at 112,994. Piranshahr lies 146 kilometers south of Urmia and 7 kilometers from the Iraqi border. The city is predominantly Kurdish, culturally part of the Mokrian region, and is situated in a foothill area. To the north, it borders Oshnavieh County; to the south, Sardasht County; to the east, Mahabad County; to the west, Iraq; to the northeast, Naqadeh County; to the northwest, Siyah-Kuh; and to the southwest, Mount Sheikhan.

Due to its strategic location, several military bases were built in Piranshahr, including the Jeldian, Piranshahr, and Pasveh. Historically, after resisting the Muslim army, the people of Piranshahr gradually adopted Islam while preserving many of their traditions. Today, approximately 99.93 percent of the city’s population are Shafeie Sunni Muslims. Before the Islamic Revolution, over 80 percent of the population were Shia Muslims; however, after the Revolution, during the Iran-Iraq War, and due to the insecurity created by the Democratic Party of Kurdistan, many Shia Muslims migrated to neighboring cities, leaving a small Shia minority in Piranshahr.⁠[1]

The peak of conflict in Piranshahr occurred in 1979. On the 24th of October 1958, anti-revolutionary elements attacked the Iranian Army units in Piranshahr. They encouraged the people to march in groups to replace the Army and gendarmerie. They pressured the Goodwill Committee to agree that military and law enforcement personnel leave Piranshahr within one month and relocate to Jeldian Base outside the city—a move that the anti-revolutionary forces successfully carried out. The Democratic Party established its presence in the city, but security did not improve. Anti-revolutionary groups continued attacking military units, taking hostages, and destabilizing surrounding areas. They were trying to retake the Jeldian and Pasveh bases. On March 5, 1980, they attacked Jeldian Base, attempting to seize weapons and ammunition. On June 9, 1980, a unit of Revolutionary forces moved into Piranshahr and cleared the city.

After the start of the war, anti-revolutionary groups, in coordination with Iraqi troops (after Iraqi aircraft bombed Piranshahr), launched several attacks, surprising Revolutionary forces aiding the civilians. Realizing the coordination between these groups and Saddam’s forces, the local people held multiple demonstrations.⁠[2] In addition, when Iran invaded Iran in September 1980, Piranshahr was bombarded several times, but Iraqi ground troops did not enter the area. After liberating the occupied southern regions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Army units conducted several operations in Piranshahr’s border areas. Also, the Ramazan Headquarters, with the support of Masoud Barzani’s forces, carried out multiple irregular operations in northern Kurdistan, Iraq.

During the war, Piranshahr was targeted 65 times by Iraqi airstrikes and was repeatedly shelled by Iraqi artillery. In these attacks, 663 residents were martyred, and 394 were wounded.

Given the strategic importance of the Piranshahr–Mirabad–Sardasht Road along the Iran-Iraq border, the separatist groups, including the Democratic Party, Komala, the Fedai Guerrillas, and the Mujahedin Organization (Munafiqeen), established their main bases in nearby villages. While Iran was at war with Iraq, these groups attempted, with 400 forces from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan of Iraq, to prevent Iranian forces from controlling this road. In this situation, IRGC units, Army forces, and Kurdish Muslim Peshmerga, supported by the Democratic Party of Kurdistan in Iraq, successfully carried out several operations from both ends of the road (Piranshahr and Sardasht), suppressing insurgents and restoring passage on this narrow and difficult route.

Operations along the Piranshahr axis were carried out in five stages, spanning from May to October 1982. During these operations, 38 Iranians were martyred, 87 were wounded, and 14 went missing or were captured. Four Iranian soldiers who had been taken by anti-revolutionary groups were freed. Among the insurgents, 210 were killed, and approximately 350 were wounded. The liberation of this road was so crucial that the martyrdom of two senior commanders of the Hamzeh Seyyed al-Shuhada Headquarters, Nasser Kazemi and Muhammad-Ali Ghanjizadeh, did not stop the operations, which continued until the road was fully secured.⁠[3]