Three gunmen attacked Erbil’s Governorate Building on Monday morning, killed one hostage and wounding four security forces, new information released.
Avatoday followed up the news to find more details about the attack. According to the information obtained, the gunmen were trained in Sulaimania’s district of Penjwen under an extremist group called Ansar. The three gunmen were in contact with Salim Shoshkeye, a former Iraqi MP. Shoshkeye is now living in Iran.
One of the gunmen is the son of a Kurdish Peshmerga. He reportedly joined the Islamic group in Sulaimania province.
Ansar was formed by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ‘s Hamze Sayed al-Shohada’s unite. The Islamic extremist group, which is dominated by former ISIS militants, recently published a video in Syria’s northwestern city of Latakia under Syrian regime claiming that they are based in Iranian-Iraqi Kurdistan border.
Some confidential information sent to Avatoday shows that the Attack on Erbil Governor’s building seems to be a message to the Kurdish officials from the neighboring country, Iran.
Tehran has reportedly warned the officials in Kurdistan region of Iraq to stop working with Americans and prevent the Kurdish-Iranian opposition parties’ border activities against Iran.
In a Facebook live stream on June 7, Avatoday’s founder, Ali Jawanmardi revealed that the Ansar group is formed by IRGC to unsecure Kurdistan.
Another source from Iraqi Kurdistan region talked to Avatoday on condition of anonymity said: “IRGC’s Quds unite has warned KDP about activity of Iranian Kurdish opposition partied inside Iran.”
According to the anonymous source, IRGC had three demands from KDP officials; anti-Iran news must not be published by Kurdish media, Iranian Kurdish opposition parties of Komala and KDPI must stop their activities against Iran otherwise Erbil will suffer the consequences, and finally KDP must not allow Iranian opposition groups based in Kurdistan, which Iran says are supported by US and Israel, make propaganda against Iranian regime.
KDP officials informed IRGC authorities that they are unable to control activity of Iranian opposition parties and that KRG will remain neutral in the tension between Iran and the US.
Iranian terrorist attack on Erbil’s Governorate Building, especially today as a delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Erbil, could be a message to Washington, warning that the Iranian affiliated groups in the region can easily target the US interests.
