Iran attacked a Kurdish Iranian opposition group in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq on Monday.
“Iran launched a drone attack on one of the bases of an Iranian Kurdish party in Sulaimani [Sulimaniyeh] province’s Surdash subdistrict early Monday, setting part of the base on fire, according to the group,” Kurdistan Region-based news channel Rudaw Media Network reported.
Three drones targeted the group’s positions at around 4:50 a.m., Amjad Hussein Panahi, a senior official for the Komala – Reform Faction, which is also known as the Organization of the Toilers of Kurdistan, said in a statement sent to Rudaw, the report said. It was a “heavy attack,” he said. Video posted online showed buildings burning.
Panahi “also said that Komala Peshmerga were unharmed because of ‘safety’ measures taken by the group, which has come under dozens of drone and missile attacks by Tehran since the US and Israel launched an aerial offensive against Iran late February.”
“A refugee camp in Surdash was attacked by three drones,” the local authorities in Sulimaniyeh said, Rudaw reported.
“According to Komala statistics, since the outbreak of the conflict between Iran and the United States to date, the number of missiles and drones used to target Komala’s headquarters and camps has exceeded 108,” Panahi said.
Refugee camp reportedly attacked by three drones
Other Kurdish groups have reported similar numbers of attacks. The KRG has said there have been more than 1,000 attacks.
There have been more than 1,000 Iranian drone and missile attacks against the Kurdistan Region since February. Iran has targeted Kurdish groups. The US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
Monday’s attack comes amid numerous reports in Kurdish media that the US is withdrawing from Iraq, including forces in the Kurdistan Region. This includes reports of air defenses being withdrawn. Iran may be emboldened by these reports.
The Kurdistan Region of Iraq has become a key front in Iran’s confrontation with Kurdish Iranian opposition movements. For decades, Tehran has viewed these groups as a threat.
The Iranian regime waged a brutal crackdown in the 1980s. It also targeted Kurdish dissidents for assassination abroad.
Since the US-Iran conflict intensified in early 2026, Iran and Iranian-backed militias have dramatically expanded their campaign of drone, missile, and rocket attacks against opposition camps and bases across northern Iraq. The strikes have targeted not only bases of the groups but also compounds housing the families of opposition members.
The attacks have also placed increasing pressure on the Kurdistan Regional Government, which has sought to avoid being drawn into a wider regional conflict while protecting its autonomy.
Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have echoed Tehran’s accusations that the opposition groups cooperate with foreign powers, using these claims to justify continued attacks.
The campaign reflects Iran’s broader strategy of projecting power beyond its borders while suppressing potential challenges to the regime. It also shows how Iran sought to set Iraq ablaze and move the front to Iraq.
Iran views Iraq as a soft underbelly and considers Baghdad to be a center of Iranian influence. This makes Iraq a buffer state, i.e., a kind of “near abroad” for Iran.
This past February, five of the largest Kurdish Iranian opposition organizations announced the formation of the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan, marking one of the most significant efforts at Kurdish political and military unity in decades.
The founding members included the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), the Organization of Iranian Kurdistan Struggle (Khabat), and Komala of the Toilers of Kurdistan.
A sixth organization, the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, joined the coalition shortly afterward. Komala has three branches. One Komala branch did not join.
The alliance pledged to coordinate politically and militarily while advocating self-determination for Iran’s Kurdish population and democratic change in Iran.
The formation of the coalition coincided with a sharp increase in Iranian attacks. Tehran employed ballistic missiles, armed drones, and other precision-guided weapons against bases belonging to the PDKI, Komala, PJAK, PAK, and other groups in the Kurdistan Region.
Iran wants to preempt these groups from organizing resistance to the Iranian regime. In March, there were reports that the US wanted to support and even arm the Kurdish groups.