In the Foothills of Northern Iraq, the Women-Led Kurdish Resistance Pushes Forward

Midia Ardalan clutched her semi-automatic Kalashnikov rifle, clad in camouflage gear and a black “Kufiya” wrapped around her face. Her steely gaze oversaw the broad and imposing mountain range of Northern Iraq's Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah.

Just two weeks earlier, the 19-year-old was studying politics in Saqqez, a Kurdish province in Iran. Her life took a drastic turn when she was arrested and detained by government authorities after being identified as a protester during the nationwide Mahsa Amini protests in 2022. These protests, initially sparked by outrage over Amini’s death in custody, have persisted in various forms, with recent demonstrations continuing to challenge Iran’s strict hijab laws despite intensified crackdowns by the government.

“I was taken to a jail cell [and] blindfolded, where I was beaten up and forced to sign a paper — they made most protesters do that,” she said. Ardalan did not know what she was signing, but she assumed they were papers verifying her participation in the protests. Since the 2022 protests, severe punishments await protesters like Ardalan. Recent reports reveal that many protesters like Ardalan have faced severe punishments, including solitary confinement, life imprisonment, and even execution, underscoring a persistent pattern of harsh crackdowns, including torture, forced confessions, and secretive trials, as authorities escalate efforts to silence opposition.

A United Nations report published last month highlighted that the Iranian government has intensified its suppression of dissent through increased electronic surveillance, employing aerial drones, facial recognition software, and surveillance cameras to enforce mandatory hijab laws. 

Ardalan was eventually granted bail for a few days, subject to the condition of returning to serve a five-year prison sentence. But she never returned. 

Instead, Ardalan escaped to Northern Iraq and joined one of Iran's oldest opposition parties. She became a “Peshmerga,” or a Kurdish soldier, fighting for her freedom and the autonomy of Kurds. Now, she is part of a community of women soldiers.

Among Ardalan’s comrades is Jina, a former nurse from Sanandaj, who uses her medical skills to help her fellow soldiers.

For many young women like Ardalan and Jina, joining armed resistance groups offers more than survival. It offers a path toward personal liberation and the opportunity to escape persecution.

"I never had a voice in my conservative family," Jina said. "But here, I have the right to speak." 

The Kurdish people, spread across Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, form one of the largest stateless nations in the world. Many Kurds in exile find themselves in limbo, longing for international asylum and facing significant obstacles, often lacking passports and official documents.

Amaanj Zebai, a representative of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDPI), articulates their fundamental struggle: self-determination. Their dream is for Iran to recognize Kurdish autonomy and form an independent Kurdish nation. Most Kurdish opposition parties are based in areas controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), with the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) operating in Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)-controlled territories in the Qandil mountains, steadfastly committed to maintaining their armed stance.

Tehran has made several attempts to discredit the Kurdish resistance by framing their strategic moves as sectarian unrest to undermine Iran. The Iranian regime has also made repeated efforts to target opposition forces, bombing their camps and infrastructure. In late 2022, Iran launched multiple missile and drone attacks against Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq, killing at least 21 people, including two women and a one-day-old infant. Iran also threatened a military incursion into Kurdish areas, although it did not materialize. The repression faced by these exiled opposition groups highlights the continued struggle for Kurdish self-determination. Their ultimate aim is for a federal Iran that recognizes Kurdish autonomy, though the dream of an independent Kurdish nation feels distant.

The resistance in exile offers not only survival but also the promise of liberation. Women like Ardalan view their participation in armed groups as a path toward freedom, as these groups provide a sense of purpose and belonging. The two oldest Iranian Kurdish opposition parties, Komala and the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, offer refuge in their camps in Iraqi Kurdistan. These camps, however, are frequently targeted by Iranian airstrikes, which forces rebels to live in constant danger.

Afshin Dadvand, a leader of Komala’s youth wing, whose main party, Komala, has historically waged guerrilla warfare against the Iranian regime, said that since the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests, over 150 recruits have joined the group, with hundreds more expected to join soon. 

“We are safe for now, but Iran is increasing pressure on both the Kurdish Regional Government and Baghdad,” Afshin told More to Her Story.

Over the past two years, Iran, too, has increasingly pressured Baghdad and Erbil to disarm and relocate Iranian Kurdish opposition parties from the Kurdistan Region. In September 2024, Iran successfully forced the relocation of its Kurdish opposition groups from Iraq.

The situation has worsened since the October 2022 appointment of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, whose government, backed by Iran’s Coordination Framework, has given Tehran more leverage to pressure Iranian-Kurdish groups to disarm.

Last week, the PKK, an outlawed Kurdish group, declared a ceasefire with Turkey after its

imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, urged the movement to disarm and dissolve. This marks a

significant step in ending a decades-long armed conflict in southeastern Turkey, which has

claimed tens of thousands of lives. The ripple effects of this decision could also extend to other Kurdish regions.

For many, the struggle for freedom will persist as long as the Iranian regime endures.

“Coming here has been inspiring; this party stands for liberation. … And holding a gun has liberated me. The revolution is in its 110th day now and hasn’t died down. I am sure we will be victorious,” said Jilamo, a law student from Sanandaj, a city in the Kurdish province of Iran.

The dream of a free Kurdistan feels more elusive than ever. Yet, in the mountains of northern Iraq, the fight goes on—a battle that could shape the future of millions of Kurds living under oppression in Iran.

 “Revolutions do not happen overnight,” Zebai of the KDPI said.