Originally Posted by
tdracer
Interesting if true...
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I just saw the same thing. WTF? Not sure how solid this source is...
Thousands of Kurdish fighters based in Iraq have launched a ground offensive into western Iran, opening a new front in the rapidly escalating conflict following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to i24NEWS, an official from the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan (CPFIK) confirmed that Kurdish armed groups began coordinated military movements shortly after midnight on Monday, March 2.
The ground military movements by Kurdish forces against Iran have already started since the midnight on March 2,” the CPFIK official told the outlet. The official said fighters affiliated with the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) had already moved into combat positions inside Iranian territory. Thousands of Kurdish fighters are reportedly deployed deep within the Zagros mountain range, particularly around the southern mountains of Mariwan in western Iran.
According to the CPFIK official, Iranian forces evacuated the border city of Mariwan on March 3 and began establishing defensive positions in and around the area. Mariwan, located near the Iraq-Iran border, has historically been a flashpoint between Iranian security forces and Kurdish insurgent groups.
The official said PJAK fighters have now taken up positions around the mountainous terrain south of the city. PJAK operates two-armed wings — the YRK (Protection Units of Eastern Kurdistan) and the HPJ (Women’s Protection Forces). The official described these units as modeled after Kurdish formations operating in Syria.
This would be an escalation, if the reports are credible. Do you think they are operating based on the opportunity, or was there a deal made before the shooting started?
From the same article
The unfolding Kurdish offensive comes as the Trump administration has reportedly been engaging with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq. According to
CNN, citing multiple people familiar with the plan, the Central Intelligence Agency (
CIA) is working to provide weapons to Kurdish forces in an effort to foment a popular uprising in Iran.
The administration has been in active discussions with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq about providing military support, sources told
CNN. Iranian Kurdish armed groups operate primarily in Iraq’s Kurdistan region along the border. Several have issued public statements since the conflict began, urging Iranian military personnel to defect.
On Tuesday, Iran’s IRGC said it targeted Kurdish forces with dozens of drones. CNN also reported that President Donald Trump spoke with Mustafa Hijri, president of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI), according to a senior Iranian Kurdish official. The KDPI was among the groups targeted by the IRGC. Iranian Kurdish opposition forces are expected to participate in a broader ground operation in western Iran in the coming days, a senior Kurdish official told
CNN.
“We believe we have a big chance now,” the source said, adding that militias expect U.S. and Israeli support.
Trump also reportedly spoke with Iraqi Kurdish leaders on Sunday regarding U.S. military operations in Iran and coordination moving forward, according to two U.S. officials and another source familiar with the discussions. Any effort to arm Iranian Kurdish groups would require support from Iraqi Kurdish authorities to allow weapons transit and to use Iraqi Kurdistan as a staging ground.
Cynical me says: they've been hung out to dry before in the past 30 years, I wonder why they don't think they'll be hung out to dry again?