Iranian-backed militias accused of targeting Kurds in Iraq

There were no losses among the Kurdish forces. The Peshmerga are the armed forces of the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government of northern Iraq. No casualties have been reported, Nure Hama Ali, a commander in west Kirkuk, told Rudaw media. “Despite no losses of Peshmerga forces, we stand ready to retaliate against any other attacks.” According to Rudaw, “at least three rockets fired by unknown forces have landed near Peshmerga forces in the vicinity of Altun Kupri, a town located on the Kirkuk-Erbil border, according to a Peshmerga commander in Kirkuk province.” 

 No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. However, rockets are often fired by Iranian groups against US bases, and pro-Iranian groups have twice targeted Erbil’s airport in the Kurdistan region. The BM-21 is a grad rocket of the 122 mm type. These were used against Erbil in the past.  

Rudaw notes that “rockets have struck multiple locations in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in recent months, largely believed to have been launched by militias affiliated to Iran-backed units of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces [PMF or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic]. A spate of rockets were fired at the Kurdistan Region capital of Erbil in mid-February, killing two and injuring several others.” 

This is a dangerous escalation. Tensions between Kurdish and pro-Iranian groups peaked in 2017 after the Kurdish independence referendum. Since then, tensions have been reduced. However, today, with US forces in the Kurdish region, the Iranian groups are once again increasing their rhetoric.