Iran pursues Kurdish groups in northern Iraq
A Kurdish fighter inspecting the damage after an Iranian cross-border attack in Zargwez, northern Iraq. Photo: AFP/Getty Images
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the Iraqi authorities agreed to close the bases of the Iranian Kurdish dissidents in northern Iraq.
During his weekly press briefing on Monday, the ministry’s spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, said that Iran had agreed with Baghdad to disarm militants in the Kurdistan region of Iraq before September 19.
Kanaani explained that Baghdad committed to disarming militant groups in northern Iraq based on an agreement concluded between both governments last March. He added that the agreement includes evacuating militants from their barracks to camps provided by the government.
Under the agreement signed with Tehran, Iraqi lands should not be a place where armed groups can threaten the security of or launch attacks against neighboring countries, and Tehran should respect the sovereignty of Iraq.
The agreement was reached after Iran launched several strikes over the past years on sites in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, which it said were lodging Kurdish opposition groups.
The Iranian authorities classify several Kurdish opposition parties based in northern Iraq, such as the Kurdistan Free Life Party, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, and the Komala Party, as terrorist organizations.
The Kurdish opposition parties accuse Iran of practicing discrimination against the Kurds.