Iran targets Kurdish opposition base in Erbil with two missiles

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A base belonging to the Iranian Kurdish opposition party Komala was targeted by Iranian missiles in Erbil province late Sunday, a senior party official said.

"As Iran’s Islamic Republic continues its attacks against Komala, tonight at 22:40, two missiles struck the headquarters of the Kurdistan Toilers Party (Komala) in Alana Valley," Amjad Hussein Panahi said in a Facebook post. The valley is located in Khalidan district of Erbil province. 

"Since the start of its war with the United States and Israel, the Islamic Republic of Iran has targeted Komala’s bases and headquarters with more than 81 missiles and drones," he added.

The Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), another Iranian Kurdish opposition group based in the Kurdistan Region, said earlier on Sunday that one of its bases near Erbil was struck by an Iranian missile.

“PAK has been attacked between 50 and 60 times since the beginning of the [Iran] war,” PAK spokesperson Khalil Kani Sanani said, attributing the missile strikes to Iranian forces while noting that drones are launched by Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq.

The US and Israel launched a large-scale aerial campaign against Iran in late February, striking thousands of targets across the country during six weeks of hostilities.

In response, Iran carried out thousands of drone and missile strikes across the Middle East, targeting alleged US assets - particularly in Gulf Arab states - while also launching retaliatory attacks against Israel.

The Iranian response also involved factions aligned with the Iran-led "Axis of Resistance," including armed groups in Iraq that claimed numerous attacks on alleged US targets in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

Tehran and its allied factions have also intensified attacks on Kurdish dissident groups in the Kurdistan Region.

According to Rudaw tracking through May 21, the Kurdistan Region has endured approximately 857 drone and missile attacks since the outbreak of the Iran war in late February, resulting in at least 20 deaths and nearly 130 injuries.