Iran says "Kurds spread unrest"... Attacks northern Iraq, 13 dead

Most Casualties Are Civilians, Including Pregnant Women and Children

On the 21st (local time), clashes occurred between protesters and police during a demonstration condemning the suspicious death of Mahsa Amini (22) in Tehran, the capital of Iran. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) bombed the stronghold of a Kurdish separatist independence organization in northern Iraq, resulting in 13 deaths and 58 injuries.

Iran launched attacks on the Kurdish autonomous region, citing the reason that Kurdish organizations were behind the anti-government protests spreading across Iran following the death in custody of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini (22), who was arrested for allegedly not wearing a hijab.

According to AFP and other sources on the 29th (local time), the Iraqi Kurdish organization stated in a press release, "Due to Iran's cross-border attacks, 13 people, including one pregnant woman, were killed and 58 were injured," adding, "Most of the victims are civilians, including children."

The group revealed that the IRGC carried out more than 70 strikes using ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) loaded with bombs.

In this regard, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized in a statement, "Iran's indiscriminate rocket attacks, airstrikes, and about 20 unmanned bombers bombed the Kurdish region within Iraq, causing many casualties."

The IRGC denied the claims, stating, "Kurdish groups based in Iraq attacked and infiltrated Iran, causing unrest and riots, and spreading instability."

On the 20th (local time), in front of the Iranian Embassy in Berlin, Germany, exiled Iranians from the Iranian opposition group 'National Council of Resistance of Iran' (NCRI), active in the West, held a protest demanding a thorough investigation into the suspicious death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was recently arrested by the police in Iran for not wearing a hijab. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier in Iran, Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini was arrested by police for not wearing a hijab and died while under investigation. As anti-government protests demanding a thorough investigation into the incident spread, the IRGC appears to have targeted Kurdish organizations, believing them to be behind these protests.