IRGC Prepares for Ground Operations in Iraqi Kurdistan

 A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 19, 2022. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 19, 2022. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
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IRGC Prepares for Ground Operations in Iraqi Kurdistan

 A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 19, 2022. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 19, 2022. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Well-informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is preparing to carry out ground operations in the Kurdistan region of Iraq to target the bases of Iranian Kurdish opposition parties, with the escalation of the protests that erupted last month following the death of Mahsa Amini.

Human rights groups expressed concern about a security crackdown in Sanandaj, while Reuters reported that videos on social media showed tanks being transported to Kurdish areas, which were focal points in the crackdown on protests. In turn, AFP quoted the Norway-based Hengaw rights group as saying that an Iranian warplane had arrived at the city’s airport overnight and buses carrying special forces were on their way to the city from elsewhere in Iran.

Sources in Tehran told Asharq Al-Awsat that the IRGC announced the readiness of its ground units to carry out limited operations to target the sites of Kurdish opposition parties. The sources said that IRGC units had received orders to head to the tense area.

In this context, IRGC channels reported on Telegram that the armed forces were preparing for a “ground attack on the headquarters of separatist terrorists.”

Protests demanding the overthrow of the Iranian regime have swept the country since the death of Amini - a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian young woman – who passed away on Sept. 16, while she was being detained by the “morality police” on the grounds of “bad hijab”. Iranian authorities have blamed “enemies” for the violence, including armed Iranian Kurdish rebels. The Revolutionary Guards attacked their bases in neighboring Iraq several times during the recent unrest.

The IRGC said on Sept. 28 that it had fired 73 ballistic missiles and dozens of drones at targets of the Iranian Kurdish opposition parties. Authorities in Iraq said 14 people were killed, including an infant and dozens were injured. The US Central Command announced at the time that it had shot down an Iranian Muhajir-6 drone, because it “posed a danger” to the US forces in Erbil.

During a visit to Sanandaj, Minister of Interior Ahmad Vahidi claimed that the protests were “supported, planned and executed by separatist terrorist groups,” without providing any supporting evidence.

Hengaw said at least seven people had been confirmed killed by the security forces in Sanandaj and other Kurdish-populated cities since Saturday.

Amnesty International said it was “alarmed by the crackdown on protests in Sanandaj amid reports of security forces using firearms and firing teargas indiscriminately, including into people’s homes.”

Hengaw warned that citizens were having difficulty sending video evidence of the events due to restrictions on the Internet, but confirmed the death of a seven-year-old child on Sunday night. It added that at least 7 people have been killed by security forces in Sanandaj and other Kurdish-populated cities since Saturday.

The New-York based Center for Human Rights in Iran said there was a risk of a similar situation in Sistan-Baluchistan province in the southeast, where activists say more than 90 people have been killed since Sept. 30.

“The ruthless killings of civilians by security forces in Kurdistan province, on the heels of the massacre in Sistan-Baluchistan province, are likely preludes to severe state violence to come,” said its director, Hadi Ghaemi.

Meanwhile, Reuters quoted the Taseer1500 Twitter account that strikes were organized at energy facilities in southwestern Iran for the second day. Workers protested at the Abadan oil refinery and the Bushehr petrochemical plant, shouting slogans against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and blocking access roads.

The workers were angered by a dispute over wages and were not protesting against the death of Amini, a regional official said on Tuesday.

The protests continued until late Monday after spreading to the country’s vital energy sector, according to videos on social media.

A video posted on Twitter showed protesters setting fire to the office of the Friday Imam and the representative of the Iranian guide in the central city of Fuladshahr, Isfahan. In the video, the attackers said: “We burn the Friday Imam’s office with Molotov cocktails for the sake of Iran’s girls on International Girls’ Day.”



Global Tributes Pour in to Honor Pope Francis after His Death

Pope Francis speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at The Vatican, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP)
Pope Francis speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at The Vatican, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP)
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Global Tributes Pour in to Honor Pope Francis after His Death

Pope Francis speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at The Vatican, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP)
Pope Francis speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at The Vatican, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP)

Church bells tolled in mourning. Well-wishers flocked into pews. Tributes to Pope Francis poured in from around the world on Monday after the Vatican announced the pontiff's death at age 88.

The 266th pope was praised for his groundbreaking steps to honor the poor and the vulnerable; seek to end conflicts like those in the Middle East, Ukraine and Africa; protect the environment; and guide the Catholic Church toward greater tolerance, among other things. Some critics say he didn't always go far enough. Others said he went too far.

Many recalled his legacy as the first pope from Latin America, and the first Jesuit to reach the pinnacle of church hierarchy, one who stressed humility over hubris for a Church beset with scandal and indifference — and even as a soccer fan from "futbol"-crazed Argentina.

Here's a look at some of the global reactions a day after his last public appearance on Easter Sunday to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.

— US Vice President JD Vance, who met with the pope on Easter Sunday before traveling to India, wrote on social media that his "heart goes out" to the millions of Christians who loved him, and said: "I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill."

— President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: "Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!"

— King Charles III praised the pope for his work on safeguarding the planet, and alluded to their multiple personal meetings — including a private visit on April 10 at the Vatican. "We were greatly moved to have been able to visit him earlier in the month," the King wrote in a statement signed "Charles R." It was the pope’s first known meeting with a foreign dignitary after he was hospitalized for five weeks with double pneumonia.

— Church bells tolled in honor of Francis, from the recently reopened Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris to a lone bell at the St. Bartholomew Parish in Bulacan, in the Philippines, that was rung 88 times to signify "the 88 fruitful years of our dear Pope Francis," the parish wrote on social media.

The church was one of many in the Philippines, the largest Roman Catholic nation in Asia, to ring its bells to mourn the death of the pontiff, who in 2015 consoled survivors of Typhoon Haiyan and celebrated Mass before millions in Manila.

"Pope Francis showed us what it means to suffer with others and find hope in the midst of pain," said Manila Archbishop Jose Advincula, alluding to the devastation wreaked by Haiyan in 2013 that left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattened entire villages and displaced more than 5 million.

— French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in the cyclone-battered Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, France’s poorest territory, said Pope Francis ″was at the sides of the most vulnerable, the most fragile, with a lot of humility, and in these times of war and instability, with a particular sense of the other, of the most fragile.″

″Throughout his whole life he fought for more justice, throughout his whole life he fought for a certain idea of humanity, an idea of fraternal humanity.″

— Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, one of the few official visitors to see Francis during his recent hospitalization, alluded to the pope’s personal comfort and advice, saying it "never failed me, not even in times of trial and suffering." She added: "We are saying goodbye to a great man and a great shepherd." Flags were flown at half-staff on Monday across Italy and some top-level soccer matches were postponed.

— Argentine President Javier Milei, who had chilly relations with the pope, expressed sorrow. "Despite differences that seem minor today, having been able to know him in his kindness and wisdom was a true honor for me," the far-right president wrote on X. As a TV pundit and libertarian economist before assuming office in 2023, Milei had publicly insulted Pope Francis as "representative of the evil one on Earth" for his perceived sympathy toward left-wing leaders and causes.

— The pope's beloved soccer team — Buenos Aires club San Lorenzo, whose nickname is "The Saints" — wrote "Our soul hurts" on its website. The team won the national championship in 2013, the year he was elected pope. During a global conference on faith and sport in 2016, Francis implored leaders to do a better job of keeping corruption off the playing field and said sports must be protected from manipulations and commercial abuse.

— Lebanese President Joseph Aoun posted on X: "We in Lebanon, the land of diversity, feel the loss of a dear friend and a strong supporter. The late Pope always carried Lebanon in his heart and prayers, and he always called on the world to support Lebanon in its ordeal. We will never forget his repeated calls to protect Lebanon and preserve its identity and diversity."

— Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te expressed condolences on social media and said people there would "continue to draw inspiration from his lifelong commitment to peace, global solidarity, and caring for those in need." The Holy See is among Taiwan’s only 12 remaining diplomatic allies while China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has been poaching others.

— South African President Cyril Ramaphosa noted the pope's "extraordinary life story" and said "Pope Francis advanced a world view of inclusion, equality and care for marginalized individuals and groups, as well as responsible and sustainable custody of the natural environment." Africa has seen some of the Catholic Church's biggest growth in recent years.

— European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recalled the pontiff as an inspiration for the entire world, not just Christians. "He inspired millions, far beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and love so pure for the less fortunate," she said on social media. "My thoughts are with all who feel this profound loss."

— Israeli President Issac Herzog, whose role is mostly ceremonial, called Francis a man of "deep faith and boundless compassion." Francis repeatedly criticized Israel’s wartime conduct in Gaza and said allegations of genocide, which Israel has adamantly denied, should be investigated. "I truly hope that his prayers for peace in the Middle East and for the safe return of the hostages will soon be answered," Herzog said on social media.

— The Palestine Red Crescent offered condolences to Christians, calling the pope "one of the most prominent supporters of justice and human dignity, including his noble stances regarding the suffering of the Palestinian people and their right to freedom and justice."

— In Gaza, Suheil Abu Dawoud, a 19-year-old Christian, recalled how Francis opposed the war in Gaza, called for peace between Palestinians and Israelis and had "asked us to be strong." The pope used his final Easter Sunday message to lament growing antisemitism, call for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, appeal to the fighting sides to reach a ceasefire, and "come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace!"

— President Alexander Van der Bellen of Austria recalled how the pope traveled to the Italian island of Lampedusa, a key landing point for migrants seeking to reach Europe, to meet with refugees and commemorate those who died while trying to cross the Mediterranean. The Austrian leader said on social media that the pope's impact resonated in ways large and small: "He ensured that homeless people near St. Peter’s Square could shower. He criticized dehumanizing words and gestures. That was Pope Francis."

— President Vladimir Putin of Russia hailed the pope as a "consistent defender of the high values of humanism and justice." Last year, Francis suggested Ukraine should try to negotiate an end to the war with Russia. Critics said those comments suggested the pope was siding with Russia. Francis tried to maintain the Vatican’s traditional diplomatic neutrality, but that was often accompanied by apparent sympathy with Russia's rationale for invading Ukraine — as when he said NATO was "barking at Russia’s door" with its eastward expansion.

— Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that his war-torn country grieved together with Catholics and all Christians who looked to Pope Francis for spiritual support: "He knew how to give hope, ease suffering through prayer, and foster unity. He prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians. Eternal memory!"

— Dutch King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Máxima, who like the pope was born in Argentina, recalled their "personal audience" with the pope at the Holy See in 2017 and how "Pope Francis radiated mercy in everything he did. With his deep-rooted faith in God’s love, he was the embodiment of benevolence and humanity." They called him a "committed guardian of the listening and loving Church, and as a result he succeeded in winning the hearts of many, both within the Roman Catholic Church and outside it."

— The Dalai Lama honored the pope in a letter to the Most Rev. Leopoldo Girelli, the Apostolic Nuncio to India, saying Francis "dedicated himself to the service of others, consistently revealing by his own actions how to live a simple, but meaningful life." "The best tribute we can pay to him is to be a warm-hearted person, serving others wherever and in whatever way we can," the Tibetan spiritual leader wrote.

— Former US President Joe Biden, who regularly attends Mass, on X called Francis "the People's Pope" and wrote: "I am better for having known him."