Kurdistan
Iranian province and Kurdish heartland, heavily targeted during the 2026 Iran-Israel-US conflict.
Last refreshed: 30 March 2026
Why did Kurdistan province suffer the highest military casualty concentration in the 2026 conflict?
Latest on Kurdistan
- What is Kurdistan province in Iran?
- Kurdistan (Kordestan) is a province in north-western Iran with a predominantly Kurdish population. It borders Iraq to the west. It is administered by Tehran but has a history of Kurdish autonomy movements.
- How many people were killed in Kurdistan province in the 2026 Iran war?
- Hengaw reported 1,480 military personnel killed across the four Kurdish-majority provinces (Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Ilam, and West Azerbaijan) between 28 February and 20 March 2026, alongside 98 civilians. These figures are higher than Iranian government counts.Source: Hengaw
- Why was Kurdistan targeted in the Iran-Israel-US conflict?
- Kurdistan province and adjacent Kurdish-majority provinces host significant Iranian military bases, which became primary targets in the 2026 conflict. Hengaw documented strikes on more than 240 bases across the four Kurdish provinces, with 1,480 military personnel killed.Source: Hengaw
- What is Hengaw and what does it say about Kurdistan?
- Hengaw is a Norway-based Kurdish human rights organisation that monitors Iranian Kurdistan. During the 2026 conflict it published independent casualty reports with figures substantially higher than those of the Iranian Health Ministry, becoming the primary external source for battle damage assessment in the Kurdish provinces.Source: Hengaw
- Is Iranian Kurdistan the same as Iraqi Kurdistan?
- No. Iranian Kurdistan (Kordestan province) is an administrative province of Iran. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is a separate autonomous region in northern Iraq with its own government and capital at Erbil. Both are part of the broader Kurdish cultural homeland but governed by different states.
Background
Kurdistan is a province in north-western Iran, bordering Iraq to the west. Its population is predominantly Kurdish, a stateless ethnic group also spread across Iraq, Turkey, and Syria. The province has long been marginalised by the Iranian central government, with a persistent Kurdish autonomy movement. Its proximity to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, autonomous since 1991, gives it strategic sensitivity for Tehran.
Kurdistan province suffered disproportionate losses in the Iran-Israel-US Conflict 2026: Hengaw documented 1,480 military personnel killed across more than 240 targeted bases in the four Kurdish-majority provinces of Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Ilam, and West Azerbaijan, alongside 98 civilians killed. Iranian strikes on what Tehran described as a US forces headquarters in Erbil drew the broader Kurdish territories into the conflict.
The conflict has exposed Kurdistan province's vulnerability: it hosts significant military infrastructure that became a primary strike target, while its civilian population bears the cost. Hengaw, the Norway-based Kurdish rights organisation, has been the primary independent source of casualty data, publishing figures consistently higher than Iranian government counts.
