KRG condemns Iranian bombardment of opposition groups in Kurdistan

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) condemned the Iranian bombardment of Iranian Kurdish opposition parties’ headquarters in Erbil’s Koya on Saturday, but also called on such groups to avoid using the Kurdistan Region’s soil to attack neighboring states.

In a statement regarding "this morning's bombardment by the Islamic Republic of Iran," the KRG spoke critically, though not in especially strong terms, of the attack of the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDP-Iran) and the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI).

The incident occurred on Saturday morning and caused dozens of casualties among those then inside the two parties' buildings, located near each other. Hospital sources in Koya have told Kurdistan 24 that, so far, 14 had died and 42 more had been wounded.

“In addition to the condemnation of those bombardments, we reiterate our concerns regarding the use of the Kurdistan Region’s land to attack neighboring states, which is in no way acceptable and can lead to instability in the Kurdistan Region,” the statement read.

“Therefore, we hope it will not re-occur, and the laws of the Kurdistan Region will be respected and groups will avoid using the region as a battlefield for their tensions.”

The Kurdish government also expressed condolences to the victims of the bombardment and wished a speedy recovery for those injured.

in recent years, Iran has repeatedly shelled areas of the Kurdistan Region along its borders, claiming to target Iranian Kurdish opposition groups who have recently resumed their armed struggle after decades of a ceasefire.

Editing by John J. Catherine