Iranian Kurdish PAK party accuses Iran of attack on HQ

ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan region,— An Iranian Kurdish opposition party based in Iraqi Kurdistan said Wednesday that Iran launched a rocket and drone strike on one of its offices, killing one member and wounding two others.

The Kurdistan Freedom Party PAK, which commands the armed Kurdistan National Army, said the strike occurred at daybreak. In a statement, the party accused the Iranian government of targeting their headquarters with both missiles and drones.

A party official told AFP that the strike may have been carried out in response to their activities, including calls for protests against the Iranian regime and the existence of an organized and trained military force.

Founded in 1991 in Iran, the Kurdistan Freedom Party, known as PAK (Partî Azadîyê Kurdistan), includes fighters who previously took part in battles in Iraq against the Islamic State group.

Several Iranian Kurdish opposition groups have maintained a presence in Iraq since the 1980s, during the rule of Saddam Hussein. Hussein’s regime carried out widely recognized massacres against Iraqi Kurds while using Iranian Kurdish groups to pressure Tehran.

Iran classifies these parties as terrorist or separatist organizations and frequently accuses them of attacking Iranian forces.

In recent weeks, Iran faced widespread protests that posed one of the most serious challenges to its theocratic leadership since 1979. The protests have slowed after a deadly crackdown, with authorities describing demonstrators as rioters.

The PAK noted that Iran struck opposition offices in Iraqi Kurdistan before, including during protests in 2022 following the death of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Jina Amini in custody.

Addressing the Iranian regime, the party said, “The sons of Kurdistan will never bow before its attacks and pressure. The struggle for freedom and independence will only become more resolute and enduring.”

Since the Islamic regime came to power in 1979, Kurds in Iranian Kurdistan have faced systematic discrimination in nearly every aspect of daily life. Government policies and laws have limited their social, political, and economic opportunities for decades.

Kurds are often restricted in practicing their religion and preserving their cultural identity. Parents are barred from registering their children with certain Kurdish names, and religious minorities who are partially or wholly Kurdish are frequently subjected to measures that isolate and stigmatize them.

Economic and political marginalization adds to these challenges. Kurds encounter barriers to employment, access to adequate housing, and participation in political processes. Many live in entrenched poverty, further reinforcing their exclusion from Iranian society.

Estimates suggest that more than 12 million Kurds reside in Iranian Kurdistan, a population that continues to navigate systemic inequality under the current regime.

(With files from AFP)