Iran Launches Missile and Drone Attack on Kurdish Opposition Groups in Iraq

Erbil : Iran launched several missiles and drones at positions belonging to Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq’s northern Erbil province on Wednesday. Al Jazeera, citing a Peshmerga commander who spoke to Rudaw, reported that the strikes targeted fighters from the Komala Party and the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) in Erbil province’s Alana Valley. No casualties were reported from the barrage. Four Iranian drones subsequently crashed across several districts in the province, including Soran, Khalifan, and Harir. Two drones fell near a village in Khalifan, another struck a residential house in Soran, and a fourth crashed on Mount Bani Harir, triggering a fire in the surrounding grass, Al Jazeera reported, citing local media. The Peshmerga serve as the military forces of the autonomous Kurdistan Region, while the Komala Party and the KDPI are Iranian Kurdish opposition groups headquartered in the border region of northern Iraq. Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said that Iran had proved itself to the world as a ‘tough and invincible power’ during the recent war with the US and ultimately “forced the enemy to request negotiations,” according to Iranian news agency ISNA. Speaking at the ‘Cooperation and Synergy of Diplomacy and Health’ meeting at the Iranian Ministry of Health on Tuesday, Araghchi said Iran’s armed forces had made major sacrifices during the conflict with the US and Israel. “Our armed forces sacrificed their lives and defeated the world’s largest apparent army. This is not a slogan at all; it is a reality that the whole world admits,” Araghchi said, according to ISNA. He said the recent war had witnessed scenes of sacrifice and bravery across the country, with people continuing to perform their duties despite the conflict. “No one thought that Iran could resist in this way against America and the cooperation of the Zionist regime [Israel], with the support of all Western countries and some other countries that we all know, and ultimately forced the enemy to request negotiations,” he said. The Iranian Foreign Minister also said he had heard from officials of other countries that Iran had “created a miracle” and “surprised the whole world” through its resistance. On diplomacy, Araghchi said Iran had demonstrated that it knew how to defend its rights, adding that officials had told him, “‘You won the war, you won diplomacy'”. (Source: ANI)