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.



Blinken Aims to 'Cross Finish Line' on Gaza Ceasefire, Hostages Deal

A wounded Palestinian boy is carried to Al Aqsa Hospital following an Israeli air strike on Al Bureije refugee camp in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip, 05 January 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
A wounded Palestinian boy is carried to Al Aqsa Hospital following an Israeli air strike on Al Bureije refugee camp in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip, 05 January 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
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Blinken Aims to 'Cross Finish Line' on Gaza Ceasefire, Hostages Deal

A wounded Palestinian boy is carried to Al Aqsa Hospital following an Israeli air strike on Al Bureije refugee camp in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip, 05 January 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
A wounded Palestinian boy is carried to Al Aqsa Hospital following an Israeli air strike on Al Bureije refugee camp in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip, 05 January 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that Washington wanted to see a ceasefire deal in Gaza concluded and the hostages brought out in the next two weeks.
A renewed push is under way to reach a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas and return Israeli hostages before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
"We very much want to bring this over the finish line in the next two weeks, the time we have remaining," Blinken told a press conference in South Korea, when asked whether a ceasefire deal was close.