By SETH J. FRANTZMAN - Yesterday - JERUSALEM POST
The Iranian regime launched repeated attacks on Iraq on Wednesday, increasing the number of groups and people it is targeting. Tehran has used artillery, drones and rockets to attack the region over the past several days, according to local reports.
Pro-government peoples rally against the recent protest gatherings in Iran, after the Friday prayer ceremony in Tehran, Iran September 23, 2022.
© (photo credit: Majid Asgaripour/ WANA via Reuters)
There are fears that Iran could launch a ground operation – an unlikely scenario, but one that nevertheless illustrates its feeling of impunity in attacking Kurds.
Ostensibly, the Iranian regime claims to be targeting “terrorist” groups, but it has expanded the number of groups and areas it is attacking. It has attacked the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), as well as Komala and the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK, over the past several days.
“Dozens of Iranian explosive-laden drones targeted the positions of the Kurdish opposition parties in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region early on Wednesday,” the Kurdistan24 news channel reported, citing Iran’s military.
This appears to be a major operation, as Iran is using kamikaze-style drones. Iran has also exported Shahed-136 drones to Russia, though it is unclear if Tehran is using the same drones to attack Kurdish groups.
“The Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran headquarters in the Koya district was similarly targeted by dozens of suicide drones,” Kurdistan24 reported. “The residential compounds of the party were attacked as well, Mohammad Nazif Qadiri, a senior party official, said.”
The headquarters of the Sulaymaniyah-based Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan was hit by similar attacks on Wednesday, its commander told Kurdistan 24. In addition, six members of the PAK were killed by a drone and missile attack south of Erbil.
This is thought to be the reason that there are fears of Iranian attacks on Perde, a town that lies between Erbil and Kirkuk. Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias operate near Kirkuk, the site of clashes in 2017, when the Iraqi government sought to force Kurdish forces to leave the city.
There are fears that Iran could launch a ground operation – an unlikely scenario, but one that nevertheless illustrates its feeling of impunity in attacking Kurds.
Ostensibly, the Iranian regime claims to be targeting “terrorist” groups, but it has expanded the number of groups and areas it is attacking. It has attacked the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), as well as Komala and the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK, over the past several days.
“Dozens of Iranian explosive-laden drones targeted the positions of the Kurdish opposition parties in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region early on Wednesday,” the Kurdistan24 news channel reported, citing Iran’s military.
This appears to be a major operation, as Iran is using kamikaze-style drones. Iran has also exported Shahed-136 drones to Russia, though it is unclear if Tehran is using the same drones to attack Kurdish groups.
“The Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran headquarters in the Koya district was similarly targeted by dozens of suicide drones,” Kurdistan24 reported. “The residential compounds of the party were attacked as well, Mohammad Nazif Qadiri, a senior party official, said.”
The headquarters of the Sulaymaniyah-based Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan was hit by similar attacks on Wednesday, its commander told Kurdistan 24. In addition, six members of the PAK were killed by a drone and missile attack south of Erbil.
This is thought to be the reason that there are fears of Iranian attacks on Perde, a town that lies between Erbil and Kirkuk. Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias operate near Kirkuk, the site of clashes in 2017, when the Iraqi government sought to force Kurdish forces to leave the city.
Related video: Iran protests continue as crackdown escalatesDuration 7:30
The US has condemned the attacks, saying in response to a question from Kurdistan24: “We condemn violations of Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity, including the reported shelling by Iran’s forces in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.”
This has not deterred Iran, however. Attacks continued to occur against KDPI throughout Wednesday afternoon. According to local residents, a pregnant woman was killed in the IRGC missile attack on Koy Sanjaq, and further casualties were expected.
Iran has attacked this area several times, including a missile attack in 2018 and other smaller attacks over the past few years, and it has targeted Erbil with rockets and drones. The impunity that Iran believes it enjoys is clear. Pro-Iranian groups in Iraq have also targeted Erbil International Airport. There have been attacks on gas and energy facilities near Kalak and also on the road from Sulaymaniyah to Kirkuk.
The Islamic Republic has shown over the past few years that it feels it can attack US forces in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region, as well as Kurdish opposition and dissident groups.
The larger context of this is clear. Iran is exporting drones to Russia, the same kind it uses to terrorize the Kurdish Region and the same kind it wants to export to groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen to threaten the Gulf and to threaten Israel and US forces in Syria. Iran has already attempted drone attacks against the Jewish state, such as in February 2018, May 2021 and earlier this year. These attacks have expanded to include drones flown from Iran.
Iran has also claimed to target the “Mossad” in northern Iraq, linking its war on Kurdish groups with its conflict with Israel. This means that Tehran is now using the protests as a pretext to launch more attacks in the Kurdistan Region, and it is seeking to neutralize or destroy a plethora of Kurdish resistance groups, including KDPI, Komala and PAK. It may even increase the attacks to target PJAK, a Left-leaning Kurdish group.
Iran’s use of missiles, drones and artillery illustrates not only its new way of war, using precision drone and missile attacks, but also its sense of impunity that it can strike in Iraq, close to centers of power in Erbil, and destabilize the region. Iran knows that the Kurdistan Region is among the most wealthy and stable in Iraq and that it is close to US forces’ facilities.
The Kurdish Peshmerga, the armed forces of the autonomous region, receives support from the US and the West. They have attempted to unify and reform their units, strengthening the region. Iran wants the region divided and weak. Its attacks are meant to show that the Kurdistan Region cannot defend itself. Many Kurds from Iran fled to Iraq to enjoy the freedom and opportunities it offers.
Iran appears to be purposely terrorizing civilians now in the Kurdistan Region. Videos that were published on Wednesday afternoon showed terrified children and parents. The regime seems to be indicating that if it cannot crush protests at home, it will use its power to attack random people in Iraq.
There are a number of Kurdish opposition groups from Iran that have supporters and bases in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Their houses and camps are usually spread out and quite small and modest. Iran has threatened to target these areas for years and likely knows the location of many of these groups and their supporters.
It has also been sending agents to the Kurdistan Region for years, keeping tabs on the opposition and also engaging in assassinations and other types of attacks. This is well known to Iranians who live in northern Iraq, especially among Kurds. They know that Iran has tried to infiltrate their communities and spy on them.
Opposition groups also know that Iran has threatened and carried out attacks, and it is clear that Wednesday’s attacks are an escalation of some sort. The number of missiles and drones used and the many locations that were targeted point to an expanding conflict and Tehran’s attempt to stamp out these groups in one fell swoop.
Kurdish officials: Death toll climbs in Iranian drone attack
By SALAR SALIM, Associated Press - Yesterday
KOYA, Iraq (AP) — An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq on Wednesday killed at least nine people and wounded 32 others, the Kurdish Regional Government’s Health Ministry said.
By SALAR SALIM, Associated Press - Yesterday
KOYA, Iraq (AP) — An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq on Wednesday killed at least nine people and wounded 32 others, the Kurdish Regional Government’s Health Ministry said.
Smoke billows in the village of Zrgoiz, near Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, where the bases of several Iranian opposition groups are located, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed nd wounded dozens. (AP PhotoAla Hoshyar, Metrography)© Provided by Associated Press
Members of exiled Komala Party inspect aftermath of bombing in the village of Zrgoiz, near Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, where the bases of several Iranian opposition groups are located, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed nd wounded dozens. (AP PhotoAla Hoshyar, Metrography)© Provided by Associated Press
The strikes took place as demonstrations continued to engulf the Islamic Republic after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who was detained by the Iranian morality police.
Iran’s attacks targeted Koya, some 65 kilometers (35 miles) east of Irbil, said Soran Nuri, a member of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan. The group, known by the acronym KDPI, is a leftist armed opposition force banned in Iran.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in a statement said the attacks “impacted the Iranian refugee settlements” in Koya, and that refugees and other civilians were among the casualties.
Members of exiled Komala Party inspect aftermath of bombing in the village of Zrgoiz, near Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, where the bases of several Iranian opposition groups are located, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed and wounded dozens. (AP PhotoAla Hoshyar, Metrography)© Provided by Associated Press
Iraq’s Foreign Ministry and the Kurdistan Regional Government have condemned the strikes.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency and broadcaster said the country’s Revolutionary Guard targeted bases of a separatist group in the north of Iraq with “precision missiles” and “suicide drones.”
Members of exiled Komala Party inspect aftermath of bombing in the village of Zrgoiz, near Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, where the bases of several Iranian opposition groups are located, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed nd wounded dozens. (AP PhotoAla Hoshyar, Metrography)© Provided by Associated Press
Gen. Hasan Hasanzadeh of the Revolutionary Guard said 185 Basijis, a volunteer force, were injured by "machete and knife” in the unrest, state-run IRNA news agency reported Wednesday. Hasanzadeh also said rioters broke the skull of one of the Basij members. He added that five Basijis are hospitalized in intensive care.
Offices of several exiled Iranian groups are seen after bombing in the village of Zrgoiz, near Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, where the bases of several Iranian opposition groups are located, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed nd wounded dozens. (AP PhotoAla Hoshyar, Metrography)© Provided by Associated Press
The Iranian drone strikes targeted a military camp, homes, offices and other areas around Koya, Nuri said. Nuri described the attack as ongoing.
Iraq's Foreign Ministry spokesman said the government in Baghdad was expected to summon the Iranian ambassador to deliver a diplomatic complaint over the strikes.
In Baghdad, four Katyusha rockets landed in the capital’s heavily fortified Green Zone on Wednesday as legislators gathered in parliament.
The zone, home to the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, is a frequent target of rocket and drone attacks that the United States blames on Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups.
The Iraqi military earlier said in a statement that one rocket landed near parliament, another near the parliament’s guesthouse, and a third at a junction near the Judicial Council. Two security officials told the AP that the fourth rocket also landed near parliament.
Related video: Iran's hardline president Raisi condemns 'rioters' as protests spread
Duration 3:17
View on Watch
Iraqi state news reported four security officers were wounded.
The office of Iraq’s caretaker prime minister, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, in a statement said security forces were pursuing the assailants who fired the rockets, and asked protesters to remain peaceful.
Members of exiled Komala Party inspect aftermath of bombing in the village of Zrgoiz, near Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, where the bases of several Iranian opposition groups are located, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed nd wounded dozens. (AP PhotoAla Hoshyar, Metrography)© Provided by Associated Press
Cellphone footage circulating on social media showed smoke billowing from a carpark near the parliament building.
Following the first series of strikes in northern Iraq, Iran then shelled seven positions in Koya's stronghold in Qala, a KDPI official told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity in order to speak publicly. The Qala area includes the party's politburo.
An Associated Press journalist saw ambulances racing through Koya after the strikes. Smoke rose from the site of one apparent strike as security forces closed off the area.
Meanwhile, security forces lobbed tear gas and fired rubber bullets at protesting Iranian Kurds in Sulimaniyah.
On Saturday and Monday, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard unleashed a wave of drone and artillery strikes targeting Kurdish positions.
The attacks appear to be a response to the ongoing protests roiling Iran over the death of a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who was detained by the nation’s morality police.
The U.S. Department of State called the Iranian attacks an “unjustified violation of Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“We are also aware of reports of civilian casualties and deplore any loss of life caused by today’s attacks,” said spokesperson Ned Price in a statement. “Moreover, we further condemn comments from the government of Iran threatening additional attacks against Iraq.”
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said in a tweet that the country cannot be treated as “the region’s “backyard” where neighbors routinely, and with impunity, violate its sovereignty.”
“Rocket diplomacy is a reckless act with devastating consequences,” the U.N. agency said.
Meanwhile, Britain's State Minister for the Middle East said the attacks “demonstrate a repeated pattern of Iranian destabilizing activity in the region," while the German Foreign Ministry and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also condemned Iran for the strikes.
The U.N. secretary-general called on Iran early Wednesday to refrain from using “unnecessary or disproportionate force” against protesters as unrest over a young woman's death in police custody spread across the country.
Antonio Guterres said through a spokesman that authorities should swiftly conduct an impartial investigation of Amini's death, which has sparked unrest across Iran’s provinces and the capital of Tehran.
“We are increasingly concerned about reports of rising fatalities, including women and children, related to the protests,” U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric in a statement. “We underline the need for prompt, impartial and effective investigation into Ms. Mahsa Amini’s death by an independent competent authority.”
Protests have spread across at least 46 cities, towns and villages in Iran. State TV reported that at least 41 protesters and police have been killed since the demonstrations began Sept. 17.
An Associated Press count of official statements by authorities tallied at least 14 dead, with more than 1,500 demonstrators arrested.
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard in a statement called for an international investigation over the deaths of protesters.
“Dozens of people, including children, have been killed so far and hundreds injured,” the statement read. "The voices of the courageous people of Iran desperately crying out for international support must not be ignored.”
The human rights organization added that it has documented cases of Iranian security forces sexually assaulting women protesters.
Meanwhile, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said it documented the arrests of at least 23 journalists as the clashes between security forces and protesters heated up.
CPJ in a Wednesday statement called on Iranian authorities to “immediately” release arrested journalists who covered Amini’s death and protests.
Dujarric added that Guterres stressed the need to respect human rights, including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association during the meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on September 22nd.
Members of exiled Komala Party inspect aftermath of bombing in the village of Zrgoiz, near Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, where the bases of several Iranian opposition groups are located, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed nd wounded dozens. (AP PhotoAla Hoshyar, Metrography)© Provided by Associated Press
The strikes took place as demonstrations continued to engulf the Islamic Republic after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who was detained by the Iranian morality police.
Iran’s attacks targeted Koya, some 65 kilometers (35 miles) east of Irbil, said Soran Nuri, a member of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan. The group, known by the acronym KDPI, is a leftist armed opposition force banned in Iran.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in a statement said the attacks “impacted the Iranian refugee settlements” in Koya, and that refugees and other civilians were among the casualties.
Members of exiled Komala Party inspect aftermath of bombing in the village of Zrgoiz, near Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, where the bases of several Iranian opposition groups are located, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed and wounded dozens. (AP PhotoAla Hoshyar, Metrography)© Provided by Associated Press
Iraq’s Foreign Ministry and the Kurdistan Regional Government have condemned the strikes.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency and broadcaster said the country’s Revolutionary Guard targeted bases of a separatist group in the north of Iraq with “precision missiles” and “suicide drones.”
Members of exiled Komala Party inspect aftermath of bombing in the village of Zrgoiz, near Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, where the bases of several Iranian opposition groups are located, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed nd wounded dozens. (AP PhotoAla Hoshyar, Metrography)© Provided by Associated Press
Gen. Hasan Hasanzadeh of the Revolutionary Guard said 185 Basijis, a volunteer force, were injured by "machete and knife” in the unrest, state-run IRNA news agency reported Wednesday. Hasanzadeh also said rioters broke the skull of one of the Basij members. He added that five Basijis are hospitalized in intensive care.
Offices of several exiled Iranian groups are seen after bombing in the village of Zrgoiz, near Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, where the bases of several Iranian opposition groups are located, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed nd wounded dozens. (AP PhotoAla Hoshyar, Metrography)© Provided by Associated Press
The Iranian drone strikes targeted a military camp, homes, offices and other areas around Koya, Nuri said. Nuri described the attack as ongoing.
Iraq's Foreign Ministry spokesman said the government in Baghdad was expected to summon the Iranian ambassador to deliver a diplomatic complaint over the strikes.
In Baghdad, four Katyusha rockets landed in the capital’s heavily fortified Green Zone on Wednesday as legislators gathered in parliament.
The zone, home to the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, is a frequent target of rocket and drone attacks that the United States blames on Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups.
The Iraqi military earlier said in a statement that one rocket landed near parliament, another near the parliament’s guesthouse, and a third at a junction near the Judicial Council. Two security officials told the AP that the fourth rocket also landed near parliament.
Related video: Iran's hardline president Raisi condemns 'rioters' as protests spread
Duration 3:17
View on Watch
Iraqi state news reported four security officers were wounded.
The office of Iraq’s caretaker prime minister, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, in a statement said security forces were pursuing the assailants who fired the rockets, and asked protesters to remain peaceful.
Members of exiled Komala Party inspect aftermath of bombing in the village of Zrgoiz, near Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, where the bases of several Iranian opposition groups are located, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed nd wounded dozens. (AP PhotoAla Hoshyar, Metrography)© Provided by Associated Press
Cellphone footage circulating on social media showed smoke billowing from a carpark near the parliament building.
Following the first series of strikes in northern Iraq, Iran then shelled seven positions in Koya's stronghold in Qala, a KDPI official told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity in order to speak publicly. The Qala area includes the party's politburo.
An Associated Press journalist saw ambulances racing through Koya after the strikes. Smoke rose from the site of one apparent strike as security forces closed off the area.
Meanwhile, security forces lobbed tear gas and fired rubber bullets at protesting Iranian Kurds in Sulimaniyah.
On Saturday and Monday, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard unleashed a wave of drone and artillery strikes targeting Kurdish positions.
The attacks appear to be a response to the ongoing protests roiling Iran over the death of a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who was detained by the nation’s morality police.
The U.S. Department of State called the Iranian attacks an “unjustified violation of Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“We are also aware of reports of civilian casualties and deplore any loss of life caused by today’s attacks,” said spokesperson Ned Price in a statement. “Moreover, we further condemn comments from the government of Iran threatening additional attacks against Iraq.”
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said in a tweet that the country cannot be treated as “the region’s “backyard” where neighbors routinely, and with impunity, violate its sovereignty.”
“Rocket diplomacy is a reckless act with devastating consequences,” the U.N. agency said.
Meanwhile, Britain's State Minister for the Middle East said the attacks “demonstrate a repeated pattern of Iranian destabilizing activity in the region," while the German Foreign Ministry and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also condemned Iran for the strikes.
The U.N. secretary-general called on Iran early Wednesday to refrain from using “unnecessary or disproportionate force” against protesters as unrest over a young woman's death in police custody spread across the country.
Antonio Guterres said through a spokesman that authorities should swiftly conduct an impartial investigation of Amini's death, which has sparked unrest across Iran’s provinces and the capital of Tehran.
“We are increasingly concerned about reports of rising fatalities, including women and children, related to the protests,” U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric in a statement. “We underline the need for prompt, impartial and effective investigation into Ms. Mahsa Amini’s death by an independent competent authority.”
Protests have spread across at least 46 cities, towns and villages in Iran. State TV reported that at least 41 protesters and police have been killed since the demonstrations began Sept. 17.
An Associated Press count of official statements by authorities tallied at least 14 dead, with more than 1,500 demonstrators arrested.
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard in a statement called for an international investigation over the deaths of protesters.
“Dozens of people, including children, have been killed so far and hundreds injured,” the statement read. "The voices of the courageous people of Iran desperately crying out for international support must not be ignored.”
The human rights organization added that it has documented cases of Iranian security forces sexually assaulting women protesters.
Meanwhile, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said it documented the arrests of at least 23 journalists as the clashes between security forces and protesters heated up.
CPJ in a Wednesday statement called on Iranian authorities to “immediately” release arrested journalists who covered Amini’s death and protests.
Dujarric added that Guterres stressed the need to respect human rights, including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association during the meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on September 22nd.
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