Iraqi Kurd forces have reportedly begun engaging with Iranian military, according to reports in Israel, as US officials believe thousands of troops have now entered Iran
21:45, 04 Mar 2026Updated 22:48, 04 Mar 2026
Iraqi Kurds are making a move on Iran, according to reports (file)(Image: LightRocket via Getty Images)
Kurdish officials told i24NEWS that the US-backed forces were making a move from bordering Iraq. It comes after earlier today Kurdish Iranian dissident groups based in northern Iraq said they were preparing for a potential cross-border military operation in Iran.
Aziz Ahmed wrote on X: “Not a single Iraqi Kurd has crossed the border. This is patently false.”
US officials believe Iran has already engaged with them (file)(Image: LightRocket via Getty Images)
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Reports in Israel believe Kurdish forces have already engaged with the Iranian forces. The Kurdish groups are widely seen as the most well-organized segment of the fragmented Iranian opposition and are believed to have thousands of trained fighters.
Their entry into the war could pose a significant challenge to authorities in Tehran and could also risk pulling Iraq further into the conflict.
Khalil Nadiri an official with the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK, based in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region said Wednesday that some of their forces had moved to areas near the Iranian border in Sulaymaniyah province and were on standby.
He said Kurdish opposition group leaders had been contacted by U.S. officials regarding a potential operation, without giving more details.
Strike in Tehran have continued by Israeli forces(Image: AP)
Asked about reports that the Trump administration was considering arming Iranian Kurdish groups, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Wednesday: “None of our objectives are premised on the support or the arming of any particular force. So, what other entities may be doing, we’re aware of, but our objectives aren’t centred on that.”
Before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday, triggering a new war in the Middle East, the PAK had claimed attacks on the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for Tehran’s violent crackdown on protests.
The Kurdish groups have battle experience from the fight against the Islamic State group. An official with Komala, another of the Kurdish Iranian groups, said Wednesday that their forces are ready to cross the border within a week to 10 days and were “waiting for the grounds to be suitable.” He spoke on condition of anonymity out of security concerns.
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