Iranian shelling hits Kurdistan Region’s border areas for third day

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The border areas between the Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil province and Iran witnessed new rounds of artillery shelling by the neighboring country’s military, targeting the alleged positions of Kurdish militant groups fighting Tehran.

It has been for three consecutive days that the Iranian artillery has been shelling Barbzeen countryside in the northern part of Erbil province, Kurdistan 24 correspondent on the ground reported on Monday.

Randomly targeting the mountainous areas, the “intense bombardments” have deserted the nearby villages. 

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has recently warned citizens in Kurdistan Region to avoid the “bases” of Kurdish militant groups, blaming them for the recent turmoil in the country. The military said it would continue the shelling.

The shelling comes as Iranians have been protesting for more than a week in about ten Iraqi provinces after a 22-year-old Kurdish girl, Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, died in police custody in Tehran. She was violently arrested for not wearing a “proper hijab”.

As a result of the ongoing violent protests, over 60 people and members of the security forces have been killed. The government has vowed to fiercely quell the unrest, accusing protestors to be “saboteurs”.

Due to the internet blackout and the violent crackdown, Amnesty International has warned that further bloodshed is feared.

The Kurdish girl’s death has sparked an international outcry, drawing strong condemnations from world leaders.