The regional government of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region has denied reports that it has become part of the US war against Iran.
“The reports that talk about the role of the Kurdistan region and the accusation that we are part of a plan to arm and send Kurdish opposition parties to Iranian territory are completely baseless. We categorically deny them and declare that they are being published deliberately and maliciously,” said Peshawa Hawramani, a spokesman for the Kurdish region of the X government.
Hawramani also condemned Iran’s ongoing attacks in Kurdistan targeting Iranian and Iraqi Kurdish armed groups.
“We strongly condemn the cowardly attacks targeting the Kurdistan region and call on the federal government and the international community to intervene and stop these attacks and protect our country, our people and our region,” he said.
The comments come as various media outlets reported that the US was working closely with Kurdish forces in Iraq to launch a ground operation inside Iran.
Who are the Kurds?
The Kurds are a large stateless ethnic group numbering nearly 30 million people living in the Kurdistan Region, spanning Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria.
In Iraq and Syria, the Kurds have enjoyed semi-autonomy for years. For decades, Kurdish separatist groups have also waged insurgent campaigns seeking to establish their own nation called Kurdistan.
Kurds vs Iran
They have a long history of grievances and rebellion against both the current Islamic Republic and the monarchy that preceded it.
Currently, a group of six Iranian Kurdish groups have formed a coalition dedicated to overthrowing the Islamic Republic and establishing the Kurdish people’s right to self-determination.
Read also | A Kurdish armed group has launched a ground operation in Iran
“For the first time, all major Kurdish parties have come together as one in a new coalition – a historic step to shape a new future for the Kurds and a democratic Iran,” said Abdullah Mohtadi, secretary general of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan.
Kurds as US allies
The Kurds have a long history of working with the US, including until recently in Syria and Iraq, during the campaign against Islamic State.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were a coalition of mostly Kurdish militants funded and trained by the US to fight IS.
Kurdish fighters on the Iran-Iraq border
According to The Associated Press, thousands of battle-hardened Kurds in northern Iraq are preparing for a potential US-backed cross-border military operation in Iran.
Kurdish officials told the AP that U.S. President Donald Trump and the heads of Iraq’s two main Kurdish parties discussed the situation on Sunday.
Khalil Nadiri, an official of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, based in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, said on Wednesday that some of its forces had moved to areas near the Iranian border in Sulaymaniyah province and were on alert.
US plans to use Kurdish fighters
On the possibility of Iranian Kurdish forces entering Iran, Trump told Reuters on Thursday: “I think it’s great that they want to do it, I’d be all for it.”
Read also | The CIA is working to arm Kurdish militant groups for ground operations in Iran
According to US media reports, the CIA was working to arm Kurdish forces with the goal of instigating a popular uprising in Iran. Reports also claimed that at least some Kurdish fighters may have already entered Iran.
Iranian response
Iran has also responded to the threat posed by Kurdish groups in Iraq by firing missiles into the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan.
Key things
- The Kurdistan government has denied allegations of involvement in a US-led military operation against Iran.
- Tensions escalate as Iranian forces target Kurdish groups with rocket attacks.
- Kurdish factions are coming together for the first time in a coalition aimed at self-determination, signaling a major political shift.
