Iranian-backed militias escalate in Iraq, targeting Kurdistan Region president Nechirvan Barzani
The attack was condemned by France and Iraq, but Iran distanced itself from the incident.
Iran-backed Iraqi militias, who have targeted northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region more than 400 times, intensified their attacks on Saturday, targeting the home of regional President Nechirvan Barzani.
The attack was condemned by France but also by Baghdad, and Iran also distanced itself from the incident. This comes days after Iran launched missiles at the Kurdish Peshmerga in Iraq, killing six Kurds. The Peshmerga are the armed forces of the autonomous region of Kurdistan.
The president of the Kurdistan Region is Nechirvan Barzani, known as a pragmatic politician who invests in the region’s prosperity and seeks to avoid conflict. He is related to the former president of Kurdistan Masoud Barzani, now leader of the Kurdish PDK party. He is also related to the region’s prime minister, Masrour Barzani.
Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurdish politician who served as deputy prime minister of Iraq and former foreign minister, wrote on
The PMF is the Popular Mobilization Forces, a paramilitary group in Iraq. Many Iranian-backed militias are part of the PMF, meaning they receive state funding and support.
An Iranian ballistic missile on display in Tehran. (credit: REUTERS)
Macron condemns attacks in the Kurdistan region
Militias have carried out more than 500 attacks in Baghdad, targeting the US embassy, the Kurdistan region and other targets. The United States has recently sought to coordinate with Iraq to stop the attacks. American A-10 warplanes also targeted the militias.
Masrour Barzani condemned and denounced in the strongest terms the cowardly drone attack against the residence of President Nechirvan Barzani in Duhok. “Once again, we call on the federal government to take responsibility, bring these outlaw criminals to justice and curb the continued terrorist attacks perpetrated by these groups. I also call on the international community and our friends to support the Kurdistan Region in protecting its citizens and safeguarding the interests of the Kurdistan Region.
In France, President Emmanuel Macron strongly condemned the drone attack “carried out today against the house of President Nechirvan Barzani in Duhok, and also reiterated his country’s continued support for the Kurdistan Region and Iraq,” read a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency. Macron is a close friend of the Kurds and the Kurdistan region.
Iraqi politicians also condemned the attack. Erbil-based media outlet Rudaw noted that Iraq’s Sunni Azm Alliance said it “considers this a serious transgression that threatens the security and stability of the country and undermines efforts to defuse tensions and maintain internal peace.” Khamis al-Khanjar, a senior Iraqi Sunni leader, condemned “in the strongest possible terms the terrorist attack.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani also condemned the attack, followed by Iran’s IRGC, which supports militias in Baghdad.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also criticized the drone attack, calling it a “terrorist act.”
Ammar al-Hakim, head of the Iraqi Shiite Movement for National Wisdom, also spoke out, calling the attack “heinous.”
Iranian and pro-Iranian statements give the impression that the attack is an “escalation”, when it is Iranian-backed militias who are behind these attacks.
