In the five days since the US and Israel began airstrikes on Iran, the Iranian regime has lashed out at many countries. One of the places being hit hardest is the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Northern Iraq. This area is a successful region that is run by a Kurdish government.
For decades, the Kurdistan government has sought to navigate the complexities of the region, balancing ties with Baghdad with its important role as a crossroads of the region. It sits on the border of Iran and Turkey, two powerful countries. Today, the Kurdish leaders in Erbil are worried that they could be dragged into conflict in Iran.
Their fears have already been realized. Iranian drones and missiles have struck in the Kurdistan region. Iranian-backed militias in Iraq are also carrying out attacks. The attacks have targeted US forces in the Kurdistan region, as well as Kurdish Iranian opposition groups.
These groups have bases in northern Iraq, and they have a community of Kurds who have fled Iran over the years. Iranian drones have targeted not only these opposition groups, but also the housing where Kurdish Iranian women and refugees live.
In Erbil, the sound of drone attacks is frequent. Many drones have targeted Erbil International Airport. Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said on Thursday that the Region “will not engage in any conflict or military escalation.”
Rudaw media in Erbil noted that he said the conflict risks the security and lives of its people, “as he marked the 35th anniversary of Kurdistan’s 1991 uprising.” The 1991 uprising was transformational for Kurds. Saddam’s regime had carried out a genocide against Kurds.
In 1991, Saddam was defeated by the US-led coalition that liberated Kuwait. Kurds rose up to fight Saddam’s regime. They were able to create the Kurdistan autonomous region. The US helped with a no-fly zone. Many Kurds from Iraq had been forced to flee to Iran and Turkey. Now they could return.
Kurds fear repeat of past betrayals amid Iran conflict
Now Kurds face a new crisis. The conflict in Iran, some think, has parallels to the 1991 war. However, Kurds are wary of being dragged into the war, only to see the international community abandon them as happened in the past.
They have seen Kurdish gains lost in the last decade in Iraq and Syria. They have seen Kurds also subjected to war in Turkey during a PKK uprising in 2015. In 2017, Iraq attacked the Kurds in Kirkuk.
“We reaffirm that the Kurdistan Region will consistently serve as a cornerstone of peace and will not engage in any conflict or military escalation that jeopardizes the lives and security of our people,” President Barzani said, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency.
Rudaw noted that “his remarks come as the Kurdistan Region has found itself caught in the crossfire of the conflict between the US-Israeli coalition and Iran since Saturday.”
On March 4, many media falsely reported that Kurds had launched an offensive in Iran. Now there are concerns Iran will respond even more strongly, attacking Kurds in Iran and also the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
“Hemn Hawrami, a member of the Region’s ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) politburo, rejected reports in a Thursday post on X claiming that the Kurdistan Region or Kurds in Iraq were ‘being a part of a plan to arm & support the Iranian Kurdish opposition to cross the borders into Iran,’” Rudaw noted. “We are not a part of this war & our goal is to preserve, maintain peace and security of our region & beyond,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nechirvan Barzani said that “safeguarding the status of the Kurdistan Region and our constitutional achievements can only be realized through unity, solidarity, and a collective national responsibility among all political parties, and communities in Kurdistan.”
Rudaw noted that “President Nechirvan Barzani’s statement came as he commemorated the 35th anniversary of Kurdistan’s 1991 uprising against the former Iraqi regime. The revolt, which spread across Kurdish towns and cities, resulted in the expulsion of the Iraqi army from most of those areas, creating the conditions for the establishment of a Kurdish parliament in 1992.”
Meanwhile, Rudaw also said that Kurds continue to try to live life as normally as possible. In Erbil, the nightlife continues, for instance. Oil exports are also continuing via Turkey in a limited manner. This is a challenge because it appears Iran may also be targeting oil and energy exports and energy facilities.
The Kurdistan region shut down some production at the Khor Mor gas field and other facilities when the conflict began. This has strained the electricity grid.
Reports at Rudaw also say “Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi Wednesday held a phone call to discuss escalating regional tensions following recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran, with both sides emphasizing border security and the need to prevent further instability.”
Nechirvan is knowledgeable about Iran, having lived there and studied at the University of Tehran. He is considered one of the Kurdish leaders who has good relations with both Ankara and Tehran and can navigate the complexities of the region.