Iranian Kurd opposition member severely wounded in car bomb in Erbil

An Iranian Kurdish political activist escaped an assassination attempt on Monday in Erbil, the capital city of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, as a bomb left him severely injured, Kurdish officials announced. 

The Kurdistan Counter-Terrorism department on its formal Facebook page posted photos of the car and said that the car of the Iranian Kurdish national in the Setaqan neighbourhood of Erbil was targetted on early Monday, indicating that an investigation of the incident is ongoing. 

"Our member Akbar Sanjabi, 49, is severely wounded when a sticker bomb detonated with his car," Shorsh Haji, a leading member of the organization of Iranian Kurdistan Struggle (Sazmani Khabat), told The New Arab during a brief phone interview. "Security officials in Erbil have yet to inform us of the incident, but I can say that the Iranian regime is definitely behind the attack."

Haji also clarified that Sanjabi's legs are severely injured and he is being transferred to a hospital in Erbil for surgery.

According to information obtained by The New Arab from a Kurdish-Iranian activist, Sanjabi is from Sarpol-e-Zahab county of Kermanshah province of Iran and was living in Erbil. 

"Sanjabi was previously sentenced to life imprisonment in Iran for membership in the People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). He escaped his hometown when he was on leave on bail, and came to the Iraqi Kurdistan region several years ago. He has previously told Kurdish security forces that there are threats on his life," an activist said to The New Arab on condition of anonymity. For his part, Haji did not confirm this information. 

The Kurdistan region, which was previously described as the most stable part of Iraq, has become a very dangerous place for Kurds from Iran and Turkey. 

Mousa Babakhani, central committee member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDP-I) was assassinated in a hotel room in Erbil on 7 August 2021, his body also showed signs of torture.

"He was assassinated at the hands of the Islamic Republic in Erbil," the party's media outlet published.

Last month Zaki Chalabi, a Kurd from South East of Turkey, and the owner of Deniz restaurant in Sulaimaniyah city were shot dead, and nobody has been arrested yet in the incident.