The Komala Kurdish Iranian opposition group said that it was attacked overnight on Saturday, in the latest of many attacks since February 2026.
Many Kurdish Iranian opposition groups are concerned that Iran will now escalate attacks in the wake of the US leaving Iraq on September 30. Since the US left, there have been several attacks on these groups, including attacks on the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) in Koya and Khabat near Erbil.
Komala said overnight on October 17 that one of the bases of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan in the Khalifan region had once again been targeted in a drone strike, with an official and a security source telling Rudaw English (a local major Kurdish media outlet based in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government KRG) that "two drones launched from Iran struck a base belonging to the Iranian Kurdish opposition group Komala in Balisan, Erbil province."
No casualties were reported.
Rudaw noted that Ali Ranjbari, head of Komala’s relations, confirmed the attack and the lack of casualties but said that buildings had been damaged.
"He said one drone struck the base, while the other hit a guard post. Separately, a security source in the Kurdistan Region confirmed the attack to Rudaw English, while Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency also reported the drone strikes,” Rudaw reported.
There have been more than 1,000 attacks on the KRG since February 28. Many of the Kurdish groups say that they have been targeted hundreds of times each. Rudaw provided important context, noting that “the latest strike comes amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian forces have stepped up pressure on commercial shipping, targeting more than a dozen vessels over the past two weeks.”
This means that Iran appears to be increasing raids in the Kurdish region of Iran. The Kurdish region of Iran is in northwestern Iran and borders the Kurdish areas of northern Iraq. Iran has been cracking down on Kurdish activism amid concerns there could be an uprising.
Despite reports of US aid, no rebellion among Kurds against Iran
Early in the conflict with Iran, in March 2026, there were reports that the US was supporting Kurdish groups in Iran. However, no rebellion occurred. The PDKI has recently said it is not sending its Peshmerga fighters into Iran. The KRG President Nechirvan Barzani also condemned the Kurdish groups recently for behaving irresponsibly, implying that they have brought attacks on the KRG.
Rudaw said that “in western Iran, clashes between the IRGC and fighters from the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) have escalated in the Shaho mountain range in the Hawraman region over the past few days, with Iranian forces deploying heavy weaponry and drones to bombard areas where Kurdish militants maintain positions.” It added that “the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) reported that Iranian forces had continued shelling and drone attacks in the Shaho mountains, including areas around Daleh Marz village in Sarvabad county. Witnesses told the rights group that several explosions caused by suicide drones were heard in the Daleh Marz and Bareza Lang areas, while Iranian reconnaissance drones flew over the mountains.”
What might happen next? Iranian Kurdish opposition groups have maintained bases in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq for decades, having fled repression and conflict with the Islamic Republic. These groups include the PDKI, Komala, the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), PJAK, and the Organization of Iranian Kurdistan Struggle (Khabat).
This matters because these groups began coordinating more in late 2025 and formed an alliance in January and February 2026. However, they have been cautious about an uprising. Nevertheless, they know tensions with Iran in the region are increasing. Iran may also feel freer to operate in Iraq.
The roots of Kurdish groups’ presence in Iraq date to the aftermath of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Kurdish opposition groups clashed with the new Islamic Republic, which sought to consolidate control over Kurdish areas of western Iran. During the Iran-Iraq War and subsequent years, many Kurdish fighters and political activists crossed into northern Iraq. They established camps, political headquarters, and residential compounds, particularly around Erbil, Koya, and Sulaymaniyah.
The establishment of the autonomous Kurdistan Region after 1991 provided these groups with a relatively secure base. However, Iran continued pursuing them across the border, including through assassinations, artillery attacks, and airstrikes.
Iran increasing use of missiles, drones against Kurdish opposition
Over the last decade, Tehran has increasingly employed ballistic missiles and drones against Iranian Kurdish opposition groups. In September 2018, Iranian missiles struck PDKI headquarters near Koya, killing senior party members and others. Iran launched another major wave of strikes in 2022, following protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in Iranian custody.
In 2023, Baghdad and Tehran reached a security agreement intended to disarm Iranian Kurdish groups and relocate them away from the border.
As noted above, the attacks escalated dramatically after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026. More than 1,000 drone and missile attacks have targeted the Kurdistan Region since February 28, according to Kurdistan Regional Government figures. This regional total includes attacks on Kurdish opposition camps, diplomatic facilities, and infrastructure, rather than exclusively on Iranian Kurdish groups.
The continuing strikes highlight the vulnerability of Iranian Kurdish opposition organizations and the challenges facing the Kurdistan Regional Government as it seeks to balance relations with Tehran while protecting refugees living on its territory. This means any increase in clashes with groups such as PJAK will be closely watched. The messaging from Erbil, as well as groups such as PDKI, shows that the KRG is worried about escalation.