The autonomous Kurdistan Region of Northern Iraq has been attacked by around 1,000 missiles and drones since February, when the Us and Israeli war on Iran began. This has impacted the Kurdistan region greatly, leading to deaths and injuries of dozens of people and causing energy companies to suspend operations. Now the region faces a potential new challenge as US forces may be reducing their presence.
On July 31, Amerin Zaman at Al-Monitor reported that the “US nears full withdrawal from Iraq as bases in Kurdistan Region face attacks from Iran, proxies.” The concerning report indicates that “Patriot mobile air-to-surface air-defense systems that detect and shoot down incoming missiles, drones and other airborne enemy equipment have already been removed from the military compound, the sources said, without providing further details.”
She added that “the pullout started last week and is ongoing, with the bulk of the US forces and their heavy equipment out, the sources said. ‘All’ of the Patriot anti-missile batteries had been redeployed to an undisclosed destination, they said, adding that other defensive weapons systems remained in place as of the time of publication.”
Iran could interpret any repositioning of US forces or defenses as an opportunity to carry out more strikes or pressure the Kurdistan Region. The region is a key partner and ally of the US and other countries. It is also historically stable and secure. It is one place in Iraq where people are safe from Iranian-backed militias. However, the last six months have put it in the firing line. Many Kurdish Iranian opposition groups have bases in the Kurdistan Region of Northern Iraq. This is because their members live in exile, having fled Iran over the last decades. Iran has been striking at these groups.
Reports in March that Kurds might be pressured by Israel or the US to launch a major rebellion in Iran have also led Iran to crack down. This has put the Kurds in northern Iraq in a difficult position. They want to work closely with the US, but they don’t want to find themselves exposed in this war. Reports that the US may be redeploying will feed the fears that Kurds are being abandoned again. Kurds generally say they have no friends but the mountains where they live. A long history of being backed and then abandoned has left them wary. This goes back a 100 years to attempts Kurds made at statehood back in the 1930s and 1940s. The Kurds were also betrayed in the 1970s, and in the 1980s, Kurds in Iraq faced genocide at the hands of the Saddam regime.
Iran increases drone attacks on the region
Rudaw media in the Kurdistan region noted on August 2 that “Iran and Iran-aligned armed groups in Iraq have launched nearly 1,000 drones and missiles at the Kurdistan Region since February 28, when the US and Israel began their military campaign against Iran, according to Rudaw tracking. Tehran has also continued targeting Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in the Region.”
The report notes that “according to Rudaw's records, 966 one-way attack drones and missiles have been fired at the Kurdistan Region since the war began, killing 32 people and injuring around 150 others. In the past 24 hours alone, the Region has been hit by five drones - four in Sulaimani and one in Erbil.”
Attacks target Kurdish opposition groups and the US consulate in Erbil
Many attacks targeted Kurdish opposition groups and also targeted the US consulate in Erbil. The US has a large new consulate. “However, seven Peshmerga officers affiliated with the Kurdistan Regional Government, one Kurdish security officer, and two civilians have been killed in the attacks. At least 20 members of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups have also been killed,” Rudaw added.
It also noted there were new attacks over the weekend. Referencing the Al-Monitor report, it adds that this “also coincides with reports of a surprise relocation of the US Patriot and the British Rapid Sentry air defense systems, with only the C-RAM system remaining stationed. They intercepted about 75 percent of the strikes on the Kurdistan Region.”