Iranian Kurds call on international community to prevent new Iran cross-border attacks
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Secretary of the Kurdistan Democratic Party – Iran (KDP-I), Mustafa Mawludi, warned on Wednesday that Iran could attack the Iranian Kurds again.
On Sept. 8, Iranian rockets targeted the headquarters of two Iranian Kurdish opposition groups, the KDP-I and the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), as well as a refugee camp for Iranian Kurds in the Kurdistan Region’s Koya town.
On Wednesday, reports indicated that Iran keeps monitoring Kurdish parties’ activities through drones within Iraq.
During a commemoration ceremony for the 17 Kurds that were killed in the missile strike in Koya, Mawludi said his party wants “the international community and the United States to form a policy to prevent Iran from repeating such an attack again inside Iraq.”
Meanwhile, KDP-I spokesperson Aso Hassanzadeh warned that a future attack by Iran is possible.
“It’s not the first time that the Iranian regime has attacked the leadership of our party and it may not be the last time,” he said. “But one thing is certain: our struggle will continue.”
The spokesperson noted that Kurds in Iran are trying peacefully and through legitimate means to defend their right to exist, but the “regime does not speak any other language than denial, execution, and terror.”
“The Kurds fought [the Islamic State (IS)] on behalf of the entire humanity, and we too are fighting against a regime that is causing trouble in the entire region and is a threat to humanity,” Hassanzadeh said.
“That’s why…our struggle deserves more support and attention from the international community. It’s time for the democratic and civilized world to say no to this regime.”
Moreover, Amb. James Jeffrey, US Special Representative for Syria Engagement, confirmed that on Sept. 22, Iran used missiles to target IS positions in Syria, putting the lives of US troops at risk. Written on the rockets were: “Death to Israel, United States, and Saudi Arabia.”
“The Iranians fired SCUDs out of Kermanshah in Iran in retaliation for a terrorist attack in Iran on Sept. 22 toward an offshoot of [IS], very close to American and American-allied positions fighting [IS] along the Euphrates,” he told the press on Wednesday.
Ceremony by @KDP1945 for those who were killed by Iranian missile attacks on 8 Sept. At least 17 and 46 injured were killed when Iran struck with seven short-range missiles #TwitterKurds #koyaattack pic.twitter.com/cvMoBCZeAe
— Wladimir (@vvanwilgenburg) October 17, 2018
Dr. Mahmoud Othman, an independent Kurdish politician, also addressed the audience at the ceremony. He said Iran has always rejected Kurdish rights and assassinates Kurdish politicians such as KDP-I leaders Abdulrahman Ghassemlou and Sadeq Sharafkandi in Europe in 1989 and 1992 respectively.
“Dr. Ghassemlou went to make peace with Iran, and you see what happened to him. And whenever Iran assassinated, no one in the world said anything,” Othman added.
“So, [Iran] saw how easy it is to kill Kurds. And that’s how they, for the first time, tested missiles on Kurds because Iranian Kurds have no one to protect them or advocate for their rights.”
There are fears that Iran could target Kurdish opposition parties again amid increasing US-Iran tensions and new sanctions that will be enforced on Nov. 5.
“I am sure if the missiles were fired somewhere else in Iraq, it would have become a major problem and the international community would condemn it and it would result in big tensions,” Othman stated.
“Iran and Turkey say Kurds are terrorists Are we terrorists? Or those that kill us?”
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany