Kurdistan
Footage shows smoke rising after drone attacks on Azadi Camp in Erbil’s Koya district on March 3, 2026. Photo: Screenshot / Submitted
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran and its Iraqi proxy forces have intensified drone and missile attacks on armed Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region as fear grows that the Kurds in the west of the country may stage an uprising against the regime and act as US boots on the ground.
Three drones struck Azadi camp, which houses members of the main Kurdish opposition group, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), in Erbil’s Koya district on Tuesday, wounding one person, the mayor told Rudaw. The attack is the latest from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Iraqi allies which have fired dozens of drones and missiles since Saturday at the US-led Coalition based in Erbil, Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), as well as the opposition groups.
Koya Mayor Tariq Haydari said three drones hit the camp. “One person has been injured as a result of the attack, but their health is good,” he added. On Monday, another opposition group, the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), was also targeted.
The US and Israel launched a devastating air campaign on Saturday, taking out the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and hitting nearly 1,500 targets inside the country, including in the Kurdish areas. Dozens of top military commanders have been killed.
Iran’s Red Crescent said that following the strikes, 504 locations across 153 cities have been hit. It reported that 787 people have been killed and 1,039 recorded incidents so far.
An eyewitness in Koya city told Rudaw that, in addition to the drones, a missile also struck the camp. Well-placed sources told Rudaw missiles were involved in the attack, adding that one of the drones hit the camp’s hospital and injured a staff member. Video footage showed smoke rising from the site.
Azadi camp houses members and families of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), one of several Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region.
On Monday, the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) said two of its bases in Pirde (Altun Kupri) on the Erbil-Kirkuk road were attacked by drones, as well as facilities in Erbil’s Gomaspan area west of the city.
Kurdish opposition groups in the Region have faced repeated attacks since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Saturday. The attacks on Iran killed dozens of senior military and security figures, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran has vowed retaliation and stepped up attacks affecting several countries in the region, including areas within the Kurdistan Region.
The United States and Israel have also carried out extensive airstrikes in Iran’s western Kurdish-majority areas in recent days, targeting state military and security installations.
In the latest reported strike, a police station was flattened in an airstrike in Iran’s western town of Mariwan, according to locals who spoke to Rudaw.
Last week, Iranian Kurdish opposition parties announced a new political coalition - Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan - to unify their efforts against the Islamic republic and advance Kurdish self-determination
The coalition was formed by the KDPI, the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), PAK, the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, and the Organization of Iranian Kurdistan Struggle (Khabat).
In its first declaration on Monday, the alliance described Iran’s ruling system as a “dictatorial and repressive Islamic Republic regime” that has “taken the entire population of the country as hostage.”
The alliance called on “the people of Kurdistan” to “align their political conduct with the demands and instructions” of the coalition. It urged residents to protect administrative and service institutions during what it described as a potential period of “regime’s submission [collapse].” It is also called to avoid acts of personal revenge, stay away from military and security bases, and support one another during the period, which is marred by economic hardship and conflict.
The coalition also called on Iranian security forces in Kurdish-majority areas “to separate their ranks from the remnants of the Islamic Republic” and to “choose the side of their nation.”
Following the announcement of the alliance, the Kurdistan Region’s Interior Ministry issued a statement distancing the Region from Iranian Kurdish armed opposition groups and reiterating that its territory would not be used to threaten neighboring countries.
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