Iraqi Kurdish leader predicts high likelihood of Iranian ground incursion

Iranian Kurdish Nationalist Group Sees Strong Probability of Cross-Border Operation

Babasheikh Hosseini, secretary-general of the Khabat Organisation of Iranian Kurdistan, has stated that there is a strong probability of action in regards to a potential cross-border ground operation into Iran. According to Hosseini, who spoke with Al Jazeera on Friday, the group has been planning for a long time and is now considering a campaign.

Hosseini emphasized that while no operation has taken place at this point, the United States had made contact with the group through various channels. He noted that conditions are more favorable than in the past, leading to a high likelihood of action being taken.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Saturday that it targeted “separatist groups” in the Kurdish region of Iraq. The IRGC stated that three locations were hit, and warned that any separatist groups making a move against Iran’s territorial integrity would be crushed.

The reported attack came hours after the Iraqi government and the semi-autonomous Kurdish Regional Government agreed to prevent attacks on neighboring countries from within their territory. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Kurdistan’s regional president Nechirvan Barzani made this agreement in a phone call, stating that Iraqi territory must not be used as a launching point for attacks against neighboring countries.

Tensions between Iran and the US have been escalating, with reports of Israeli support for Iranian Kurdish fighters. The US President Donald Trump has expressed support for such actions, saying it would be “wonderful” if the fighters were to cross the border.

In addition to these developments, there have been reports of drone strikes on airports and oil facilities in Iraq, as well as a series of attacks on Baghdad International Airport.

Source: Al Jazeera