Kurdish Iranian Dissidents In Iraq Deny Attack Plans But Say They Would Join A U.s. Invasion Of Iran

IRBIL, Iraq — Officials pinch 1 of nan equipped Kurdish Iranian dissident groups based successful bluish Iraq told The Associated Press that they are not readying an imminent cross-border onslaught connected Iran but would subordinate a crushed penetration if nan U.S. were to motorboat one.

The comments appeared to beryllium aimed astatine reassuring Iraqi Kurdish officials, who person said they do not want attacks to beryllium launched against Iran from their territory, fearing that they will beryllium further dragged into nan warfare successful nan Middle East sparked by nan U.S. and Israel’s strikes connected Iran.

In nan arena of a U.S. crushed operation, “then we would participate alongside nan conjugation forces,” said Khalil Nadiri, an charismatic pinch nan Kurdistan Freedom Party PAK, successful an question and reply pinch nan AP Thursday. But he said, “The Kurds must not spot themselves arsenic nan spearhead of nan attack.”

He added that his group besides has equipped members already coming wrong of Iran and that they would not needfully require cross-border support if they were to shape an uprising.

Nadiri said nan Kurdish groups person been successful interaction pinch nan U.S. and Israel but denied having received immoderate worldly assistance from them.

The comments came aft Kurdish officials said earlier this week that nan Kurdish Iranian dissident groups based successful bluish Iraq are preparing for a imaginable cross-border subject cognition successful Iran, and nan U.S. had asked Iraqi Kurds to support them

Rebaz Sharifi, a subject commandant pinch nan PAK, said it would beryllium “a very affirmative development” if nan U.S. and its friends were to limb nan Kurdish groups, but besides denied that they person received immoderate specified support truthful far.

Sharifi said he expects that astatine immoderate point, President Trump “might want nan peshmerga forces of Eastern Kurdistan to participate successful nan conflict during a crushed invasion” and “if it reaches that point, we, for our part, would beryllium pleased pinch it.”

However, nan 2 officials sought to dispel nan fears of Iraqi Kurdish officials that Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region would beryllium utilized arsenic a launching pad.

Peshawa Hawramani, spokesperson for nan Kurdistan Regional Government, said successful a connection earlier this week that “allegations claiming that we are portion of a scheme to limb and nonstop Kurdish guidance parties into Iranian territory are wholly unfounded” and that nan Iraqi Kurdish parties do not want to “expand nan warfare and tensions successful nan region.”

Already Iran and allied Iraqi militias person launched dozens of missiles and drone attacks into bluish Iraq, targeting nan U.S. bases and consulate successful Irbil arsenic good arsenic bases of nan Iranian Kurdish dissident groups.

Sharifi said PAK’s bases person been attacked doubly pinch ballistic missiles and 4 times pinch drones since nan commencement of nan war, sidesplitting 1 of their fighters and wounding 3 others.

Nadiri said that “since nan (Iraqi) Kurdistan region has adopted a argumentation of not becoming a portion of this conflict and because we do not want to disrupt nan stableness and information present and we respect nan laws of this region, consequently, nan situation has not yet been established for america to move our forces backmost into Eastern Kurdistan.”

He was utilizing nan word utilized by Kurdish groups to mention to nan Kurdish region of Iran.

The imaginable subject engagement of nan Kurds has raised tensions pinch different Iranian guidance groups - notably nan faction led by nan erstwhile shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, who has accused nan Kurds of being separatists aiming to carve up Iran.

Sharifi said that his group’s “ultimate extremity is nan statehood of nan Kurds successful each 4 regions and nan reunification of Kurdistan,” referring to nan Kurdish areas that are presently divided among Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria.

Nadiri said that a confederal strategy could beryllium a “viable solution” that would let nan Kurdish area to stay portion of Iran while maintaining its “own sovereignty, identity, and unsocial characteristics.”

Martany writes for nan Associated Press.