Strikes kill 9 Iranian Kurdish rebels in Iraq

Drone and rocket strikes killed nine members of an exiled Iranian Kurdish armed opposition group in Iraq's Kurdistan region on Friday, the group said, blaming the attack on Iran.

In Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, the U.S.-led anti-jihadist coalition shot down several drones in the second such incident this week.

The attacks, which the Kurdistan Regional Government also blamed on Tehran, come amid renewed military escalation between the United States and Iran, two of Iraq's main allies.

During the Middle East war, the Kurdistan region — home to U.S. troops, foreign oil companies and exiled Iranian Kurdish opposition groups — was repeatedly targeted by Iran and Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq.

Idriss Kohlwazi of the exiled Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan told AFP that "the Iranian regime attacked at 4:30 a.m. with drones and rockets" a camp near the city of Sulaimaniyah.

The strikes killed nine members of the party, he said.

Later, another strike hit a separate camp belonging to Kurdish opposition fighters, wounding two people, according to Komala official Amjad Panahi.

Even after a cease-fire was announced in April, Iran continued to strike Kurdish opposition groups, which Tehran accuses of serving Western and Israeli interests.

Friday's attack marked the largest escalation since the war, as the groups had largely evacuated their bases and camps.

Drones intercepted over Erbil

In Erbil, Kurdish counterterrorism forces said coalition forces "downed eight explosive-laden drones over Erbil between 4:19 and 5:25 a.m." Friday. No damage or casualties were reported.

Erbil is home to a major U.S. consulate complex, and its airport hosts military advisers attached to the U.S.-led coalition.

Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Friday condemned "the unjustified attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the Kurdistan region."

His office said that "while urging the Islamic Republic of Iran to stop this escalation, we also call on the Iraqi federal government and the international community to end these violations."

On Wednesday evening, the coalition also shot down eight drones over Erbil. AFP journalists reported that air defenses intercepted the drones near the U.S. consulate, which was a frequent target during the regional war.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Erbil.

During the Middle East war, Iran-backed armed groups operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted U.S. facilities in Iraq more than 600 times in support of Tehran.