Iran has continued to target Kurds in response to protests in Iran. As the protests continued for weeks the regime, decided to try to placate some of the protests at home; while striking out at the Kurdistan region of Iran and the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The Kurdistan region of Iraq is an autonomous region and Iran is seeking to destabilize it and also target Kurdish opposition groups.
Many Kurds from Iran have fled to Iraq over the years and some of them joined opposition groups, such as the PAK, PDKI and PJAK. These groups are opposed to Iran’s regime and they have different ideologies but their overall essence is the same in that they are Kurdish and also oppose the theocratic regime. There are many minority groups in Iran but Kurds have often proven to have a successful track record of resistance.
Iran’s regime fears minorities and seeks to crack down on Kurds. Part of this is because Mahsa Amini, the woman whose death sparked the protests, was Kurdish. Also Kurdish slogans about “women, life, liberty” have become common across Iran as part of the protest.
Iran has used the protests as an excuse now to carry out 12 days of bombardment of Kurdish areas in northern Iraq. This has included the use of ballistic missiles and drones, but it is mostly now confined to artillery strikes. There are also fears of a land incursion from the border region.
