️ For a sixth consecutive day, the US and Israeli regimes are conducting aerial bombardments against targets in Iran, waging war from the air. While this conflict remains airborne, speculation mounts about potential ground operations. Possibly, but not involving American troops. Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in exile in northern Iraq have told the BBC they have long-held plans to cross the border, but they firmly deny that their fighters have already done so.
️ Hana Yazdanpana of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) stated, "We have been preparing for this for the past 47 years, since the establishment of the Islamic Republic." She insisted, "Not a single Peshmerga has moved." Yazdanpana noted that six opposition groups are coordinating politically and militarily, but no one acts alone, emphasizing the need for unified action.
️ Yazdanpana does not expect fighters to advance this week, as the US regime allegedly needs to pave the way first: "We can't move if the air above us is not cleared. We also need the regime's weapons depots to be destroyed; otherwise, it would be suicidal. The regime is very brutal, and the most advanced weapon we have is a Kalashnikov." She called for the US to impose a no-fly zone to protect Kurdish fighters, a request she claims has been made repeatedly.
️ The White House has denied reports that US President Donald Trump is considering arming the Kurds, many of whom were previously trained by US forces to fight ISIS in Iraq. However, as chatter about a possible advance by Iranian Kurdish forces increases, Tehran's attacks on them intensify. Aftermath includes a ballistic missile strike on a PAK base that killed one fighter. Some groups have evacuated their bases to shield forces from further attacks.
️ Mustafa Mauludi, vice-president of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), took a pragmatic view: "America and Israel did not begin this war for our hopes, but for their own interests. But they are targeting bases of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps [IRGC], and this will be good for us and help us to go in." At 67, he has spent most of his life awaiting the fall of the Islamic government.
️ Kurds account for about 10% of Iran's population of 90 million. Their leaders are calling on the international community to back Trump and support them. Abdullah Mohtadi, secretary general of the Komala Party, said, "We are the most politically organized group in Iran, and we won't let this opportunity for change be wasted." He criticized the UK's stance, noting its failure to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization and its hesitation in allowing the US to use its bases for strikes on Iran.
️ According to a local journalist, the Kurds could muster several thousand troops, including some already inside Iran. They aim to be part of change in Iran but face historical distrust, as encapsulated in the Kurdish saying, "We have no friends but the mountains." Questions linger about whether the US can be trusted to keep any promises, given past betrayals of Kurdish allies in Syria, highlighting the precarious nature of this potential alliance.
Source: www.bbc.com