Daijiworld Media Network - Erbil

Erbil, Oct 21: Iran carried out fresh attacks targeting Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq on Wednesday, with projectiles reportedly striking a site linked to the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) in the Balisan Valley, northeast of Erbil.

Rebaz Sharifi, a spokesperson for PAK, told Rudaw that between two and four projectiles struck the group's positions near Hasanawa village in the Balisan mountains at around 9.30 am. He said there were no casualties.

A security source said Iran may have used two Hadid-110 drones in the attack, although this could not be independently confirmed. Rudaw also reported that at least one strike hit the western side of Bani Harir mountain, around 70 km northeast of Erbil.

The latest incident follows a series of attacks on Iranian Kurdish opposition groups, including the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), Komala and Khabat. On October 17, two drones reportedly struck a Komala base in the Balisan area, damaging buildings and a guard post. On October 12, the PDKI said an Iranian drone targeted its Azadi Camp near Koya, where families of party members reside. A drone also targeted a residential complex in Khabat district on October 8.

Iran has also been pressing Iraq to expel Iranian Kurdish opposition groups operating from the Kurdistan Region. Iran's Ambassador to Iraq, Mohammed Kazem Al-e Sadegh, said on Wednesday that the two countries had reached an agreement under which Iraq would expel the groups. However, the groups rejected the claim, and an Iraqi source denied that such an agreement had been reached.

PAK has operated from Iraq's Kurdistan Region for decades and advocates Kurdish self-determination. Its fighters participated in operations against the Islamic State group alongside Kurdish Peshmerga forces. In February 2026, PAK joined several other Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in announcing a new coalition.

Iran has continued targeting Kurdish opposition groups with drones and missiles in recent months, including operations against the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq and the PJAK group in Iranian Kurdish areas near the border.

Meanwhile, Iraq's federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government have reached an understanding to unify financial entitlements for families of martyrs and political prisoners in the Kurdistan Region. According to Iraq's state news agency INA, the entitlements are to be included in the federal budget bill for 2027.

Separately, an official from the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran said the party would not surrender its weapons or abandon its struggle for Kurdish rights, rejecting Tehran's demands.

In Turkey, Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahceli has called for a “terror-free” region while referring to PJAK, which is linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The peace process between Turkey and the PKK does not include PJAK.