Iran says it has targeted Kurdish groups in Iraq and warned “separatist groups” to shun any action in the widening war across the Middle East region.
Reports of multiple blasts were reported in the province of Sulaimaniyah in northern Iraq and according to local media, at least four explosions were heard in the province, near the areas of Arabat, Zarkuiz and Surdash.
Local sources said the attacks targeted the headquarters of the Kurdistan Toilers Association, or Komala, an Iranian Kurdish armed group in Iraq. Also, officials in Tehran said early on Thursday that the strikes had hit Iraq-based Kurdish groups “opposed to the revolution”, with reports emerging that the United States (US) is looking to arm Kurdish militias to infiltrate Iran.
According to a representative of the embattled Iran government, the strikes, which killed a member from an exiled Iranian Kurdish group, came after a warning from Iranian officials amid reports that Iranian Kurdish armed groups have consulted with the US in recent days about whether, and how, to attack Iranian forces.
The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying: “Separatist groups should not think that a breeze has blown and try to take action.”
Without giving specific locations, the Iranian forces hinted that the Military operation targets Kurdish groups in their semi-autonomous region of neighbouring Iraq, as they also began their 19th wave of missile and drone attacks against Israel and United States assets in the Middle East on the sixth day of a regional war that has embroiled much of the region in the conflict.
Iran’s Intelligence Mministry confirmed that it targeted posts of “separatist groups” who intended to enter through western borders, adding that they sustained heavy losses. The Ministry’s statement, carried by state media, said Iranian forces are cooperating with “noble Kurds” to thwart the “Israeli-American” plan to attack Iranian soil.
The new strikes on Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region come nearly one week into the US-Israel war against Iran, which has killed at least 1,045 people across the country since Saturday, according to Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency.
In a related development, Iran’s Armed Forces have declared respect for Turkey’s sovereignty and denied firing any missile towards its territory. The latest information was contained in a statement reportedly carried by state media on Thursday.
The statement by the Iranian authorities came on the heels of claims by Turkey’s Defence Ministry on Wednesday that a ballistic missile fired from Iran toward Turkish airspace after passing Syria and Iraq was destroyed by NATO air and missile defence systems over the eastern Mediterranean.
Australia Deploys Military Assets
As part of contingency planning to assist its citizens who are stranded in the Middle East, the Australian government has deployed military assets to the conflict areas for emergency purposes.
Reports confirmed that with the conflict sparked by American and Israeli strikes on Iran spreading across the region, the government is planning contingencies to help tens of thousands of Australian citizens and permanent residents.
While urging Australians to take up commercial options to get home, the Defence department has launched Operation Beech, part of the consular effort to provide assistance. Already, a Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster heavy transport aircraft and KC-30A multi-role tanker transport have been deployed today as a precautionary measure.
However, the government will not discuss further specifics like their destination for operational security reasons. This is even as many as 24,000 Australians are stuck in the United Arab Emirates alone while some commercial flights to Australia have already started to resume.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand government announced on Thursday it would send two defence force aircraft to repatriate its citizens from the troubled region.
