Ground attack on Iran and the role of Kurdish militia |
Ground attack on Iran and the role of Kurdish militia
Iraqi Kurdistan, at the center of rising tensions in the Middle East and bordering Iran, Turkey, and Syria, is becoming a potential source of conflict due to the armament of Kurdish groups and their ties to the US and Israel, which is causing concern in Iran and threatening regional stability.
Iranians and Kurds have many common cultural, linguistic, historical, and ethnic similarities. Kurdish leaders have repeatedly said that they will not allow and do not want the Kurdistan Region to be a launching pad for attacking Iran. However, Iraqi Kurdistan could become a major point of tension.
According to the 2024 agreement between Baghdad and the international coalition, some coalition forces will remain in the Kurdistan Region until at least September 2026. Despite the budget cuts, many American officials continue to emphasize the strategic importance of the Kurdistan Region.
On February 22, five Kurdish-Iranian militia factions — the Democratic Party of Kurdistan of Iran (PDKI), the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), the Khabat Organization, and a branch of the Komala Party Kurdistan of Iran — aliased and announced that they would fight against Tehran.
From February 28, 2026, with the start of the attack on Iran, Israel and the United States were considering better use of the Kurdish card.
US President Donald Trump spoke by phone with the Kurdish authorities of the region on March 1. The grounds were prepared for the entry of Kurdish groups from Iraqi Kurdistan into Iran, and Iranian military targets and the entry routes were bombed. But during the war with Iran, Donald Trump repeatedly accused the Kurds of stealing or hiding weapons.
However, extensive obstacles such as the contradiction in the goals of Israel and the United States in the war with Iran, the cautious calculations of the regional authorities, the fear of severe revenge from Tehran, and internal disputes among the Kurds have stopped the ground attack project for the time being.
Although the Kurdistan Region has fulfilled its obligations under its previous security agreement with Iran to some extent, it has........