Erbil bleeds as missiles fall — neutrality no longer a shield


Kurdistan tried to stay neutral. Now it’s under missile attack

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region, March 24 — Six Iranian ballistic missile strike on a Peshmerga base in Erbil province killed six fighters and wounded 30 others early Tuesday, according to the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga Ministry, marking a dangerous escalation after days of drone and missile attacks.

In an official statement, the ministry said the casualties resulted from “Iranian ballistic missiles” striking its Area Command One headquarters in the Soran administration of Erbil province.

Six Kurdistan Regional Government Peshmerga were killed early on Tuesday when missiles targeted their base. The missiles were likely fired by Iran or Iranian proxies in Iraq.

Iran has a network of Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. These groups nominally come under government control as paramilitaries of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). They are also called Hashd al-Sha’abi.

Iran and its proxies have been attacking the Kurdistan Region since the US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28.


Pictures of the Peshmerga martyrs who fell as a result of a missile bombing carried out by Iran and the Popular Mobilization Forces militias on one of their sites in the Soran area, southern Kurdistan.

First Directly Attributed Attack to Iran

The Kurdistan Region has been under sustained drone and missile fire since February 28, when the United States and Israel launched a joint military campaign against Iran. While several Iran-aligned Iraqi armed groups have claimed responsibility for previous attacks, this is the first strike that Kurdish authorities have explicitly attributed directly to Iran.

According to local reports, more than ten attacks have targeted Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Peshmerga forces in the past three weeks alone.

KRG Condemns “Terrorist Attack”

“We condemn in the strongest terms this attack and all other terrorist acts against the Kurdistan Region,” the Peshmerga Ministry said. The statement emphasized the Region’s right to defend itself, adding that authorities will confront any aggression against its people and territory.

Despite the escalating violence, the KRG has maintained a policy of strict neutrality, positioning itself as a “factor of peace” in the region. Kurdish leaders have consistently called for dialogue and stressed that Kurdistan’s territory will not be used to threaten neighboring countries.

Rising Regional Tensions and Denied Allegations

Earlier in March, reports suggested that foreign intelligence agencies might use Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region to destabilize Iran. The KRG firmly rejected these claims.

Aziz Ahmed, chief of staff to Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, stated at the time that “not a single Iraqi Kurd has crossed the border,” dismissing the allegations as unfounded.

Calls for International Action

The Peshmerga Ministry urged both Baghdad and the international community to take a stronger stance against the attacks.

“We call on all sides to keep war away from the Kurdistan Region,” the statement said. “We also urge the federal government and our international partners not to remain silent in the face of these violations.”

Officials in Erbil have also called on the Iraqi federal government to rein in armed groups operating outside state control.

Baghdad’s Limited Control Over Armed Groups

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein acknowledged in a recent interview that Baghdad has struggled to curb Iran-aligned armed factions.

“They have military power, organizational power, and parliamentary power,” Hussein said, highlighting the complex challenge these groups pose to state authority.

Iran is widely believed to exert influence over several Iraqi armed groups, many of which operate under the umbrella of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and maintain political representation within Iraq’s government.

A Region Under Pressure

The latest strike underscores the Kurdistan Region’s increasingly precarious position — caught between regional conflict dynamics while attempting to maintain neutrality.

The Peshmerga Ministry extended condolences to the families of the victims and wished a swift recovery to those injured, adding that the Region’s peaceful stance should not be met with violence.

Kurdistan’s Neutrality Is Being Tested — And Ignored

The latest Iranian missile strike that killed six Peshmerga fighters in Erbil is not just another security incident. It is a direct challenge to the Kurdistan Region’s long-standing policy of neutrality — and a signal that this neutrality may no longer offer protection.

For weeks, the Region has endured drone and missile attacks largely attributed to Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups. But this strike is different. Kurdish authorities have explicitly blamed Iran itself, marking a dangerous shift from proxy confrontation to direct escalation.

This raises a critical question: Is the Kurdistan Region being pulled into a conflict it has tried hard to avoid?

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has repeatedly positioned itself as a “factor of peace,” insisting it will not allow its territory to be used against neighboring states. It has also firmly denied accusations that Iranian Kurdish opposition groups are being mobilized from within its borders.

Yet these assurances have not prevented attacks.

Instead, the Region finds itself increasingly vulnerable — geographically exposed, politically constrained, and strategically isolated. Baghdad, by its own admission, lacks the ability to control powerful Iran-aligned armed groups operating within Iraq. The international community, meanwhile, has offered little more than silence.

This imbalance leaves the Kurdistan Region in a precarious position:
committed to neutrality, but treated as a participant.

If the current trajectory continues, neutrality may become less of a shield and more of a liability.

The question now is not whether the Kurdistan Region wants to stay out of the conflict — but whether it will be allowed to.


#Kurdistan #Erbil #Peshmerga #Iran #Iraq

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