Sep. 29 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has shown his “concern” about the attacks carried out by Iran against the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, which left at least thirteen dead on Wednesday.
Guterres has called for an “immediate” reduction in tensions and has demanded “respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq.” Likewise, he has requested that “the principle of good neighborly relations” be maintained.
The attacks by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have also been condemned by the president of the semi-autonomous region, Nechirvan Barzani. “We categorically reject the repetition of these attacks,” he said in a statement.
“The position of the Kurdistan region is clear and we will not allow any security threat to neighboring countries from our borders, although we reiterate that it should not be used as a battlefield to settle scores between rivals,” he said.
For this reason, he has emphasized that “weapons and the use of force will not solve the problems, given that the only solution that benefits the interests of all is dialogue and peace”, although he has asked the Iraqi federal government to “Do your duty and protect the country and its territorial integrity.”
Wednesday’s attacks left at least 13 dead and nearly 60 wounded, according to regional authorities. The attacks have reached headquarters of the Party for the Freedom of Kurdistan (PAK), the Democratic Party of Iran Kurdistan (PDKI), the Party for a Free Life for Kurdistan (PJAK).
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has argued that it has attacked “positions of terrorist groups” with “precision missiles” and drones, without commenting on possible deaths, while the Iraqi Foreign Ministry has announced that it will summon the Iranian ambassador to the country to protest the “continuous shelling of areas in the Kurdistan region”.
Iranian authorities have accused Kurdish opposition groups of fueling recent protests in the country over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old girl from the Kurdish minority who died in custody after being arrested in Tehran for allegedly wearing the veil incorrectly.
Iran has about seven million Kurds, which represents about ten percent of its population. Most live in the Kurdistan region, located in the northwest of the country, near the border with Iraq.
