The Iranian armed forces have celebrated a targeted attack on “terrorist” positions in northern Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, claiming the artillery and drones assault neutralized several insurgency leaders.
In a statement on Thursday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said they had successfully undertaken an operation to target what Tehran considers terrorist groups based in Kurdistan on Wednesday.
The mission, which was carried out with the participation of the IRGC aerospace division and IRGC Ground Forces UAVs, saw the use of both artillery capabilities and drones. The IRGC said it “pounded” the headquarters of “evil and criminal groups” at a meeting location and a training center, with seven short-range missiles, the semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr reported.
Tehran’s military claimed it had “concrete” information that their aerial bombardment had resulted in the death of several terrorist chiefs, with others wounded.
According to Mehr, the statement adds that Kurdish authorities were warned about the forthcoming attack. It claims that the operation was in response to attempts to infiltrate Iran by militants belonging to foreign-sponsored terrorist groups.
The bombardment was recorded by people on the ground in Kurdistan.
Footage was also shared by the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), which condemned the act of Iranian “terrorism” on social media. The PDKI said that commanders of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces insist the attack caused no casualties.
A KDPI military commander told Iraqi-Kurdistan based news network, Rudaw, that its forces had “recovered the remains of a drone that was used in the attack on one target.”
The Iranian operation comes just days after IRGC ground force commander Brigadier General Khakpour called on Iraqi Kurdistan to expel groups Tehran deemed terrorists. He warned that they would be targeted if not, although it was not the first time Iran had made such demands.
Iranian security forces have frequently clashed along border areas with Kurdish militant groups such as the PDKI and the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan – a group which is linked to Kurdish PKK insurgents in Turkey. The groups aspire for the creation of an independent Kurdistan.
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