Hours after reports emerged of drone and missile strikes on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, a Kurdish opposition party announced that eight of its members had been killed in the attacks.
Idris Kolahdouzi, an official of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Iranian forces launched drone and missile strikes on a camp belonging to the party and its surrounding area near Sulaymaniyah in the early hours of Friday, July 17, killing eight people and injuring several others.
Meanwhile, the Rudaw network, citing another Komala official, Abdullah Azarbar, reported that nine party members were killed and three others were wounded in the missile attacks.
Earlier, the Kurdistan Region's Counter-Terrorism Service said that the U.S.-led coalition had intercepted and destroyed eight explosive drones over Erbil. According to Kurdish authorities, the attack caused no casualties or damage.
Throughout the Middle East conflict, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq—which hosts U.S. forces, foreign oil companies, and Iranian Kurdish opposition groups—has been one of the primary targets of attacks by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups.
Following the ceasefire, Iran continued its attacks against Kurdish opposition groups and intensified them alongside the latest round of U.S. strikes on Iran.
Various sources have reported drone and missile attacks, increased military threats, the deployment of additional forces to border areas, and intensified intelligence operations targeting these Kurdish parties.
Iranian authorities accuse the groups of engaging in armed activities and cooperating with Iran's adversaries. The Kurdish opposition parties reject these allegations, describing the attacks as part of Tehran's broader campaign against political opponents and border-region activists.
Human rights organizations have also expressed concern over the risk to civilians, violations of Iraq's sovereignty, and the growing instability in the border regions.
