ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Three people were killed and two others injured Friday in two aerial attacks targeting positions of the Kurdish Iranian opposition Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) in Erbil province, a senior party member told Rudaw.
Senior KDPI member Kawa Bahrami told Rudaw in a statement that a missile strike targeted the party’s headquarters in Erbil’s northeastern Khalifan subdistrict, killing two female Peshmerga fighters and injuring another. He added that the Jezhnikan camp near Erbil’s Bahrka district was also hit in a drone attack, killing the son of a Peshmerga fighter and seriously wounding the father.
The camp hosts families from Iran’s Kurdish-majority eastern regions (Rojhelat).
During the US-Israeli war on Iran that began on February 28, Tehran and its Iraqi allied armed groups targeted US interests in the region as well as positions of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups and their dependents within the Kurdistan Region, with attacks continuing despite a two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran announced last week.
The KDPI said in a statement that an Iranian drone attack “on the civilian camps” resulted in deaths and injuries.
The party identified the victims as Nada Miri and Samira Allayari, the two killed female Peshmerga fighters. It also named Shahin Azarbarzin as the son killed in the drone strike, while his father, Nader Azarbarzin, was seriously wounded. The KDPI added that several other Peshmerga were injured.
The renewed attacks on Kurdish opposition groups come after the Iranian consulate in Erbil issued a statement on the day of the ceasefire, calling on Baghdad and Erbil to expel these groups for allegedly collaborating with Iran’s enemies.
The party said in a statement Thursday that Iran has targeted its positions - including camps, medical facilities, and education centers - with more than 112 drones and missiles.
The Kurdistan Region hosts several Iranian Kurdish opposition parties, which Tehran labels as “terrorist” or “separatist” groups, and has repeatedly targeted them with cross-border drone, missile, and artillery strikes.
Tehran’s concerns intensified following the 2022 “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, which began as a call for women’s rights and later evolved into nationwide anti-government protests. Hundreds were killed and thousands arrested during the unrest.
Iran has accused these groups of fueling and expanding the protests, leading to a security agreement with the Iraqi government in September 2023 aimed at disarming and relocating them. Although they have been moved away from border areas and placed in six camps across the Kurdistan Region, Iran has continued to strike their positions, describing the attacks as preemptive.
Hidayat Jan contributed to this report from Erbil, Kurdistan Region.
Updated at 7:58 pm.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment