Kurdistan Democratic Party Accuses Tehran of Killing 2 of its Members in Iraqi Kurdistan

Smoke rises from the headquarters of the Iranian Kurdistan Democratic Party in Iraqi Kurdistan, after an IRGC attack on the outskirts of Kirkuk, September 28, 2022 (Reuters)
Smoke rises from the headquarters of the Iranian Kurdistan Democratic Party in Iraqi Kurdistan, after an IRGC attack on the outskirts of Kirkuk, September 28, 2022 (Reuters)
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Kurdistan Democratic Party Accuses Tehran of Killing 2 of its Members in Iraqi Kurdistan

Smoke rises from the headquarters of the Iranian Kurdistan Democratic Party in Iraqi Kurdistan, after an IRGC attack on the outskirts of Kirkuk, September 28, 2022 (Reuters)
Smoke rises from the headquarters of the Iranian Kurdistan Democratic Party in Iraqi Kurdistan, after an IRGC attack on the outskirts of Kirkuk, September 28, 2022 (Reuters)

The Iranian Kurdistan Democratic Party has announced that two of its members in the Kurdistan region of Iraq were killed by a group loyal to Iran.

In a statement, the party said on Friday that a premeditated attack was carried out by the group in the south of the region, targeting a number of party members and leaving Adel Muhajir and Luqman Aji dead.

The party condemned the attack and called on the Iraqi government and the regional government to “take a firm stand against the terrorist acts committed by Iran.”

However, the statement did not mention the name of the group that carried out the operation.

Last year, Iran launched several attacks inside Iraqi territory in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, using ballistic missiles and drones and targeting what it said were Kurdish groups accused of being involved in protests.

In one of the operations, Iran said it was targeting an oil trader suspected of transporting Kurdistan region’s oil to Israel and running armed groups attacking facilities in Iran.

Iran accuses the Iraqi Kurdistan region of harboring opposition movements and groups, such as the Kurdish (Komala) movement and elements of the People’s Mujahedin Organization.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Terrorism Body in Iraq announced on Friday that five ISIS members were killed in a security operation carried out by its forces in Kirkuk, 250 km north of Baghdad.

At the end of 2017, Iraq announced the elimination of ISIS from the country, but the organization remains active in some areas.



Pentagon Tells Israel it Will Adjust US Troops in Middle East

FILED - 19 March 2024, Rhineland-Palatinate, Ramstein-Miesenbach: US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a press conference. Photo: Uwe Anspach/dpa
FILED - 19 March 2024, Rhineland-Palatinate, Ramstein-Miesenbach: US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a press conference. Photo: Uwe Anspach/dpa
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Pentagon Tells Israel it Will Adjust US Troops in Middle East

FILED - 19 March 2024, Rhineland-Palatinate, Ramstein-Miesenbach: US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a press conference. Photo: Uwe Anspach/dpa
FILED - 19 March 2024, Rhineland-Palatinate, Ramstein-Miesenbach: US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a press conference. Photo: Uwe Anspach/dpa

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has informed Israel about current and future changes to US forces in the Middle East, the Pentagon said on Wednesday, though he had not decided which additional capabilities to send.

"(Austin) informed the minister of additional measures to include ongoing and future defensive force posture changes that the department will take to support the defense of Israel," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters after a call between Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Singh added that the move could include deploying additional forces to the region, but Austin had not made a decision.

The assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday and senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut on Tuesday risk escalating the fighting in the Gaza Strip into an all-out regional war, with Iran also threatening to respond after the attack on its territory. Israel has vowed to kill Hamas leaders over the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was among the growing voices internationally calling for a cease-fire in recent days, saying that it was the only way to begin to break the cycle of violence and suffering.