Missile attack targets Iranian Kurdish group in Sulaimani

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two missiles struck a base linked to Iranian Kurdish group, Komala, near Sulaimani, a senior member of the group said on Wednesday, adding that no one was injured in the attack.

“The attack took place at 1:40 pm” at Surdash camp, Salam Rashid, a military commander of the group, told Rudaw English following the attack. He added that several houses, including a food storage and weapon depot, were damaged. 

Rashid blamed Iran for the strikes. 

A Kurdish female fighter was killed from wounds she sustained as a result of another attack on the camp last week. Two more fighters were injured.

Iran and its Iraqi proxy forces have resumed their strikes on the Kurdistan Region despite the fragile ceasefire between Tehran and Washington on April 8. At least 20 attacks have been tracked since the truce, according to Rudaw’s tracking. 

The leftist Komala party, which was established in 1979, currently operates under three distinct branches.

Two hours after announcing the extension of the ceasefire by the US late Tuesday, Iran hit the base of another opposition group, Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), near Erbil with four drones. Rudaw learned from one of the politburo members of the group that five were injured in the attack. 

The Kurdistan Region Prime Minister on Saturday described the continuation of the attacks as “an effort to undermine the ceasefire and further harm our region,” adding that at least five people have been killed since the truce between Iran and the US.

Tehran views Iranian Kurdish opposition groups as an existential threat - a concern that 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. Tehran killed hundreds and arrested thousands during the unrest.

Iran 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.

Updated at 3:06 pm