Iraq parliament meets to discuss Iranian bombing of Kurdish region

Iraq’s parliament met Saturday to discuss recent Iranian bombing of its northern Kurdish region as well as the political stalemate in the country.

Since last week, Iran has shelled border areas of the Iraqi Kurdistan region (IKR) to pressure Kurdish opposition parties in the region from supporting ongoing protests in Kurdish-populated cities in western Iran.

The bombing has left at least 18 killed and dozens wounded.

Saturday’s session comes a day after one person was killed and four others were injured when a vehicle exploded in the IKR capital, Erbil. The victim was a colonel in the PUK counter-terrorism service, which dominates areas along the Iranian border.

البرلمان يبدأ بمناقشة القصف الإيراني على مناطق اقليم كردستان

التفاصيل: https://t.co/kWXvKfxgtW#العراق pic.twitter.com/1TU0uQJE9k

— عربية ABC News (@abcnews_agency) October 8, 2022

Baghdad’s Green Zone, the seat of the Iraqi government, was tightly cordoned off by security forces as the parliament met.

The area has witnessed violent protests and rocket attacks in recent months amid a continuing political crisis in the country that has pitted suppporters of Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr against pro-Iran factions.

Iraq has condemned Iran's attacks on its north, which also saw strikes on Erbil earlier this year, calling on its eastern neighbour to halt the offensive.

This has not yet deterred Tehran however, which launched more attacks following protests in Iran against the death in custody of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.