Iran is continuing to attack the autonomous Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq, even though Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi met officials in the capital, Erbil, on Saturday.
Zaidi is being pressured by the US to rein in Iranian-backed militias. Nevertheless, he has also received support from Tehran, and one might think that Iran would reduce its attacks on Iraq to give Zaidi a chance to thrive.
Iran and its militias have carried out more than 800 attacks on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq since February 28, when the US and Israel began airstrikes against Iran.
In addition, there have been more than 600 attacks against American forces and US diplomatic sites in Iraq since the war began, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reported. They include attacks in Baghdad and also the Kurdistan Region, where an expansive US consulate is located.
Iran has continued its attacks on Kurdish Iranian opposition groups located in the Kurdistan Region, Rudaw Media Network, a Kurdistan Region-based news channel, reported Wednesday.
“Bases and positions belonging to the Komala Toilers of Kurdistan – an Iranian Kurdish opposition group – in the Kurdistan Region have come under more than 70 Iranian drone and missile attacks since the outbreak of the Iran war in late February, a party spokesperson told Rudaw on Monday,” the report said.
A drone, apparently linked to Iran, was also shot down over Koya in northern Iraq on May 2.
Any expectation that Kurds would rise up did not come to fruition.
The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), a Kurdish Iranian group, said it has been attacked 114 times.
“Early Wednesday morning... Iran’s terrorist IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] conducted drone strikes against the PDKI’s Girde Chal camp,” it reported Wednesday. “Two drones hit the perimeter of the camp, which serves as a residence for the families of PDKI members.
The Girde Chal attack followed a strike on [Tuesday night] against Komala’s Sourdash camp in the vicinity of Sulaymaniyah.”
This indicates that Iran is continuing its attacks on Kurdish groups in Iraq. In addition, the Iranian-backed militias have not disarmed and appear to want to continue their role in Iraq.
Overall, it appears that the militias and Iran have carried out more than 1,100 attacks since February 28.
Meanwhile, Zaidi is trying to show he is in charge. He went to Erbil and “met with Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, as well as Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in Erbil,” Rudaw reported, citing Kurdistan Regional President Masoud Barzani’s office.
“During the meeting, the two sides discussed the need to accelerate the formation of the government in accordance with the election entitlements, as well as adhering to constitutional timelines.”
“Accelerating the formation of Iraq’s federal government and resolving long-standing disputes between Baghdad and Erbil are at the forefront of President Nechirvan Barzani’s visit to the Iraqi capital, as Shi’ite and Sunni leaders express optimism that his efforts could prove decisive,” the report said.
The recent attacks on Komala and also against the PDKI illustrate how Iran continues to pressure Iraq. Tehran is showing that Iraq is not only a frontline but that Iran can also do whatever it wants in Iraq.
In a sense, Iran is showing that it believes Iraq is a kind of “near abroad.” This is a term once used by Russia to describe buffer states between Russia and Europe.
As such, Tehran believes it can fight any conflict with the US inside Iraq, and that despite there being a new Iraqi leadership, Iran can attack whatever targets it wants.
Many Kurdish Iranian groups have sites or bases in northern Iraq. These include places where families of these Kurdish Iranians live. Millions of Kurds live in Iran, and some have fled to Iraq in recent decades.
From the Iranian regime’s perspective, by attacking the Kurdish groups in Iraq, it can deter them and keep the fight in Iraq instead of in Kurdish regions of western Iran.
During the recent conflict, there have been airstrikes against IRGC positions in western Iran in the Kurdish regions.
But any expectation that the Kurds would rise up did not come to fruition.
The Kurdish opposition groups in Iran have united into a broader coalition, something that occurred just before the airstrikes in February.
The Kurds are cautious about launching an uprising because they fear the West will betray them as in the past. This has left their parties vulnerable to attack in Iraq.
As a result, they feel they have no choice but to weather the storm and wait and see what Iran will do next.