(https://www.lwjstage.com)  (https://cdn-ilelhjd.nitrocdn.com)     Iran targets Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq with new round of drone attacks - FDD's Long War Journal                       Iran targets Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq with new round of drone attacks - FDD's Long War Journal  (iran-targets-kurdish-opposition-groups-with-new-round-of-drone-attacks.php.html)  (https://static.addtoany.com/)  (https://use.typekit.net/)  (FDD's Long War Journal » Feed) (https://www.longwarjournal.org/feed)  (FDD's Long War Journal » Comments Feed) (https://www.longwarjournal.org/comments/feed)  (oEmbed (JSON)) (https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.longwarjournal.org%2Farchives%2F2026%2F10%2Firan-targets-kurdish-opposition-groups-with-new-round-of-drone-attacks.php)  (oEmbed (XML)) (https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.longwarjournal.org%2Farchives%2F2026%2F10%2Firan-targets-kurdish-opposition-groups-with-new-round-of-drone-attacks.php&format=xml)  (../../../../cdn-ilelhjd.nitrocdn.com/sIjAVWUHBRvPrlJXCHdtYIrbbBOnQsGe/assets/static/optimized/rev-622f359/www.longwarjournal.org/wp-includes/blocks/navigation/55e2c54229ca46b97303d68eea74b17c.style.min.css)  (../../../../cdn-ilelhjd.nitrocdn.com/sIjAVWUHBRvPrlJXCHdtYIrbbBOnQsGe/assets/static/optimized/rev-622f359/www.longwarjournal.org/wp-includes/blocks/social-links/55e2c54229ca46b97303d68eea74b17c.style.min.css)  (../../../../cdn-ilelhjd.nitrocdn.com/sIjAVWUHBRvPrlJXCHdtYIrbbBOnQsGe/assets/static/optimized/rev-622f359/www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/plugins/post-list-designer/assets/css/4c8b3fe558ac737bbc17b9b9932e5e3f.bld-public.css)  (../../../../cdn-ilelhjd.nitrocdn.com/sIjAVWUHBRvPrlJXCHdtYIrbbBOnQsGe/assets/static/optimized/rev-622f359/www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/plugins/vertical-tab-slider/css/55e2c54229ca46b97303d68eea74b17c.vtslider.css)  (../../../../cdn-ilelhjd.nitrocdn.com/sIjAVWUHBRvPrlJXCHdtYIrbbBOnQsGe/assets/static/optimized/rev-622f359/www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/plugins/ttd-topics/public/css/a30149532057f37ed976d340f286e749.ttd-topics-public.css)  (../../../../cdn-ilelhjd.nitrocdn.com/sIjAVWUHBRvPrlJXCHdtYIrbbBOnQsGe/assets/static/optimized/rev-622f359/use.typekit.net/vlo7ifg.css)  (../../../../cdn-ilelhjd.nitrocdn.com/sIjAVWUHBRvPrlJXCHdtYIrbbBOnQsGe/assets/static/optimized/rev-622f359/www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/themes/lwj-final-theme (1)/assets/css/3587ce1294c007f3c5ebaa339400304a.main.css)  (../../../../cdn-ilelhjd.nitrocdn.com/sIjAVWUHBRvPrlJXCHdtYIrbbBOnQsGe/assets/static/optimized/rev-622f359/www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/d47ca5a9d12af147d736c83cf434abe2.addtoany.min.css)  (https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-json/)  (JSON) (https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/128088)  (RSD) (https://www.longwarjournal.org/xmlrpc.php?rsd)  (https://www.longwarjournal.org/?p=128088)  (../../../../cdn-ilelhjd.nitrocdn.com/sIjAVWUHBRvPrlJXCHdtYIrbbBOnQsGe/assets/static/optimized/rev-622f359/www.longwarjournal.org/externalFontFace/nitro-noimport-a51e28e1dc2c57b4d4d636114f6d289a-stylesheet.css)     (https://www.longwarjournal.org) ()           (https://longwarjournal.org) Home   (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/category/analysis) Categories     (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/category/analysis) Analysis   (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/category/visuals) Visuals   (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/category/news) News   (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/category/generation-jihad) Podcast     (https://www.longwarjournal.org/about) About   (https://www.longwarjournal.org/donate) Donate         Search () ()  Search       Iran targets Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq with new round of drone attacks  Seth Frantzman   (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/category/news) News  October 13, 2026   ()  Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani speaks at an event on September 21. (Nechirvan Barzani on X)  Iran conducted a drone (https://x.com/PDKIenglish/status/2109618041000509444) attack against the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), a Kurdish Iranian dissident group, in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan Region on October 12, according to the PDKI. The attack follows a drone attack on October 8 that (https://www.voanews.com/a/iran-and-its-allied-militias-continue-attacks-on-iraqs-kurdistan/8209666.html) targeted a camp of Kurdish refugees from Iran north of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) capital of Erbil. Iran has carried out more than 1,000 drone and missile attacks on northern Iraq since February 28, when Israel and the US began strikes on Iran. Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani criticized some of the actions of Kurdish Iranian groups, expressing a desire to keep the region out of conflict, in a (https://x.com/the_amargi/status/2109707034576716225) speech on October 12. The latest Iranian attacks came after US forces withdrew from Iraq on September 30. There has been concern in the Kurdistan Region that the withdrawal will leave the region less (https://shafaq.com/en/Report/Kurdistan-Region-faces-air-defense-gap-as-US-troops-leave-Iraq) protected , as US forces maintained air defenses in and around Erbil. KRG authorities have been cautious about criticizing Iran amid the recent attacks. Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed spoke at the Middle East Research Institute (MERI) Forum in Erbil on October 13. He noted that the Islamic State remained a threat to the region but didn’t appear to highlight Iran as a concern, according to a Kurdistan24 (https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/945781/kurdistan-region-interior-minister-says-coalition-withdrawal-from-iraq-is-more-political-than-security-driven) report . The PDKI (https://x.com/PDKIenglish/status/2109618041000509444) said on October 12 that one of its camps near the city of Koya was targeted by a drone at 12:05 pm. “Iran launched another drone attack on the PDKI’s Azadi Camp near Koya in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where families of PDKI members reside,” the group stated. “This marks the third attack on the camp in just two weeks. Since the outbreak of the US-Israel-Iran war, Iran has attacked the PDKI more than 165 times.” The October 8 attack in Khabat district north of Erbil also targeted a complex housing families, according to local (https://www.voanews.com/a/iran-and-its-allied-militias-continue-attacks-on-iraqs-kurdistan/8209666.html) reports . There were no (https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/945781/kurdistan-region-interior-minister-says-coalition-withdrawal-from-iraq-is-more-political-than-security-driven) reported casualties. Iran has long (https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iraq-starts-relocating-iranian-kurdish-fighters-iran-border-iraq-foreign-2023-09-12/) complained about the presence of Kurdish Iranian opposition groups in northern Iraq and sought to have Baghdad crack down on them, as well as conducted numerous attacks. In a Rudaw Media Network (https://www.rudaw.net/english/categories/kurdistan/1079660) interview on October 8, Iranian Consul General Faramarz Asadi “accused foreign powers of pressuring five Iranian Kurdish opposition parties into forming an alliance shortly before the outbreak of the war.” He was referring to a coalition of Iranian Kurdish parties that (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/01/kurdish-opposition-groups-in-iran-support-protests-claim-attacks-on-tehran-regime.php) formed in January and (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/02/iranian-kurdish-groups-unite-against-tehran-regime-as-iraqi-militias-threaten-kurdistan-region.php) February 2026. “They formed an alliance from within [the Kurdistan Region’s] territory and issued a statement declaring that they would stand alongside and cooperate with anyone who attacks the Islamic Republic,” Asadi told Rudaw. Iran calls the Kurdish groups “terrorists.” The PDKI, which has members in northern Iraq and in Iran, rejected Iran’s accusations. It called the Alliance of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan a “political decision aimed at cooperation and coordination to achieve the legitimate aspirations of the Kurdish nation in its own homeland. It is not evidence supporting the accusations Tehran has leveled against them.” Reports since March indicated that the US had (https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/03/politics/cia-arming-kurds-iran) backed a Kurdish uprising in Iran, but it did not (https://www.reuters.com/investigations/trumps-mixed-messages-irans-bombs-kept-kurds-out-war-2026-04-08/) materialize . Amid Iranian threats, the PDKI has sought to distance itself from potential cross-border military operations. The group said on October 12 that it would not send its Peshmerga fighters into Iran. The term “Peshmerga” is the same name the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq uses for its armed forces, but the two are separate entities. “We have discussed this with both the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG]. We have decided and pledged that we will not turn Iraqi Kurdistan or Iraq into a rear front,” Khalid Azizi, the PDKI spokesperson, told Rudaw.  President Barzani criticized the Kurdish Iranian opposition groups in a (https://x.com/the_amargi/status/2109707034576716225) speech at MERI on October 12. “Iranian Kurdish opposition groups, unfortunately, acted very irresponsibly, placing the Kurdistan Region in a dire situation and under immense risk,” Barzani, who has sought to (https://x.com/RojhelatInfo_En/status/2109694850475987311) keep the KRG out of the conflict in Iran, (https://www.rudaw.net/english/categories/middleeast/1079705) said .  Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDD’s Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza (2024). (https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/iran) Iran ,  (https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/iraq) Iraq ,  (https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/kurdish-iranian-opposition-groups) Kurdish Iranian opposition groups ,  (https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/kurdistan-region-of-iraq) Kurdistan Region of Iraq ,  (https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/kurdistan-regional-government) Kurdistan Regional Government ,  (https://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/pdki) PDKI   Related Posts (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/10/lebanese-security-forces-seize-explosives-shipment-reportedly-bound-for-hezbollah-in-beirut.php) (Lebanese security forces seize explosives shipment reportedly bound for Hezbollah in Beirut)     (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/author/daoud-david) David Daoud    (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/10/lebanese-security-forces-seize-explosives-shipment-reportedly-bound-for-hezbollah-in-beirut.php) Oct 13, 2026    (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/10/lebanese-security-forces-seize-explosives-shipment-reportedly-bound-for-hezbollah-in-beirut.php) Lebanese security forces seize explosives shipment reportedly bound for Hezbollah in Beirut    (iran-targets-kurdish-opposition-groups-with-new-round-of-drone-attacks.php.html) (Iran targets Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq with new round of drone attacks)     (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/author/seth-frantzman) Seth Frantzman    (iran-targets-kurdish-opposition-groups-with-new-round-of-drone-attacks.php.html) Oct 13, 2026    (iran-targets-kurdish-opposition-groups-with-new-round-of-drone-attacks.php.html) Iran targets Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq with new round of drone attacks    (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/10/taliban-pakistan-border-clashes-continue-after-moscow-talks-end-without-agreement.php) (Taliban-Pakistan border clashes continue after Moscow talks end without agreement)     (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/author/selber-will) Will Selber    (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/10/taliban-pakistan-border-clashes-continue-after-moscow-talks-end-without-agreement.php) Oct 12, 2026    (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/10/taliban-pakistan-border-clashes-continue-after-moscow-talks-end-without-agreement.php) Taliban-Pakistan border clashes continue after Moscow talks end without agreement    (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/10/insurgent-attacks-surge-in-southeastern-iran.php) (Insurgent attacks surge in southeastern Iran)     (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/author/janatan-sayeh) Janatan Sayeh    (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/10/insurgent-attacks-surge-in-southeastern-iran.php) Oct 9, 2026    (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/10/insurgent-attacks-surge-in-southeastern-iran.php) Insurgent attacks surge in southeastern Iran        (https://www.lwjstage.com/tags/generation-jihad) View All Podcasts    (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2024/09/profiles-of-28-iran-backed-terrorist-groups-and-branches-in-the-west-bank.php) (Interactive visual: Profiles of 28 Iran-backed terrorist groups and branches in the West Bank)    (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2024/09/profiles-of-28-iran-backed-terrorist-groups-and-branches-in-the-west-bank.php) Interactive visual: Profiles of 28 Iran-backed terrorist groups and branches in the West Bank   (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2023/10/profiles-of-15-iranian-backed-militias-in-the-middle-east.php) (Profiles of 15 Iranian-backed Militias in the Middle East)    (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2023/10/profiles-of-15-iranian-backed-militias-in-the-middle-east.php) Profiles of 15 Iranian-backed Militias in the Middle East   (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2023/03/shabaab-leadership.php) (Detailing Shabaab’s Leadership and Key Personnel)    (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2023/03/shabaab-leadership.php) Detailing Shabaab’s Leadership and Key Personnel   (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2022/12/al-qaeda-leaders-use-afghanistan-as-a-safe-haven.php) (Al Qaeda leaders use Afghanistan as a safe haven)    (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2022/12/al-qaeda-leaders-use-afghanistan-as-a-safe-haven.php) Al Qaeda leaders use Afghanistan as a safe haven     (https://longwarstg.wpenginepowered.com/archives/category/visuals) View All Visuals       (FDD's Long War Journal)    FDD’s Long War Journal  provides accurate reporting and analysis of ongoing efforts to address jihadism, conflicts between state and non-state actors, and warfare between states. This is accomplished through original reporting, including by embedded reporters, news aggregation, maps, podcasts, and other formats. (https://instagram.com)   Instagram   (https://x.com)   X   (https://linkedin.com)   LinkedIn   (https://youtube.com)   YouTube      © 2025 Long War Journal. All rights reserved. (iran-targets-kurdish-opposition-groups-with-new-round-of-drone-attacks.php.html#) Privacy Policy   (iran-targets-kurdish-opposition-groups-with-new-round-of-drone-attacks.php.html#) Terms & Conditions  (iran-targets-kurdish-opposition-groups-with-new-round-of-drone-attacks.php.html#) Cookies Policy