After death of teenage girl, KRG demands Iran stop shelling Kurdistan Region

The new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Wednesday called on Iran to end its bombardment of its border areas after one such attack earlier killed a teenage girl and wounded two of her brothers earlier in the day.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Wednesday called on Iran to end its bombardment of its border areas after one such attack earlier killed a teenage girl and wounded two of her brothers earlier in the day.

Iranian forces shelled the Bradost area and the town of Sidakan, killing 18-year-old Zaitun Qadir, and her brothers, aged 14 and 23. The attack struck multiple villages in the district of Soran, located near the Kurdistan Region's eastern border with Iran.

The action appeared to be a response to an earlier incident that occurred in the Iranian Kurdish (Rojhilati) town of Piranshahr a day earlier which caused the deaths of three members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and injured a fourth.  

Read more: Three IRGC members killed near Kurdish city as clashes increase

Afterward, fighters reportedly affiliated to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP-I) opposition group claimed responsibility for the attack.

“On Tuesday, an armed assault was launched against members of the Guard Corps,” the KRG statement began. “In response, the Islamic Republic of Iran shelled the border areas inside the Kurdistan Region, which unfortunately led to a member of a family being martyred and two others wounded.”

“Both these events rouse our worry and condemnation.”

The statement stressed that the Kurdistan Region “respects neighborliness and will never allow and in no way accept its border be used for attacking and disrupting the security of neighbor countries,” and added that Iran must “end its bombardments of the region and not cause fear and displacement of residents.”

Early Wednesday, additional clashes were reported to have broken out about 250 kilometers southeast of Piranshahr, also between a Kurdish opposition group and Iranian forces, two of which were killed. The area is outside another Rojhilati town named Javanrud (Jwanro).

Iranian artillery fire has been a regular occurrence on the Kurdistan Region’s border areas for years, much of which is claimed to be targeting Iranian Kurdish opposition fighters. The attacks have resulted in the evacuation of dozens of Kurdish villages.

Turkey also frequently strikes Bradost, a harsh mountainous area, targeting alleged Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) positions. Such attacks have led to dozens of civilian casualties and repeated pleas from the KRG for both sides to cease their activities within the Kurdistan Region and take their fighting elsewhere. 

Editing by John J. Catherine