ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two drones late Friday targeted a camp in Erbil province housing family members of the Kurdish Iranian opposition Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), a senior party member told Rudaw, after separate attacks earlier in the day killed three people.
"Around 10:30 pm tonight, two drones attacked the Grdachal camp in Erbil province,” senior KDPI member Kawa Bahrami told Rudaw in a statement, adding that the attack caused only material damage.
The camp, established in 2009, houses families of some KDPI Peshmerga fighters.
During the US-Israeli war on Iran that began on February 28, Tehran and its allied Iraqi armed groups targeted US interests in the region as well as positions of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups and their dependents within the Kurdistan Region. Attacks have continued despite a two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran announced last week.
Earlier Friday, Bahrami said a missile strike hit 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 struck by a drone, killing the son of a Peshmerga fighter and seriously wounding the father.
The renewed attacks come after the Iranian consulate in Erbil issued a statement following last week’s 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.
Malik Mohammed contributed to this article from Erbil, Kurdistan Region.
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