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If the Kurds become directly involved in the conflict, it could mark the first time a large ground force joins the fighting.
10:49, Thu, Mar 5, 2026 Updated: 10:52, Thu, Mar 5, 2026
The Kurds are an ethnic group spread across several countries in the Middle East (Image: Getty)
Tensions in the Middle East have raised new questions about the role of Kurdish groups as the conflict involving Iran continues to escalate. Some Kurdish Iranian opposition groups based in northern Iraq are reportedly preparing for a possible cross-border military operation into Iran. The groups are widely seen as one of the most organised parts of Iran’s fragmented opposition and are believed to have thousands of trained fighters.
If they become directly involved in the conflict, it could mark the first time a large ground force joins the fighting. Reports suggest that some Kurdish fighters have already moved closer to the Iranian border in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah province and are on standby. Khalil Nadiri, an official with the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), said some of their forces had relocated to border areas. Another Kurdish opposition group, Komala, has also suggested it could take part if conditions allow. An official from the group said its fighters were ready to cross the border within a week to 10 days and were currently “waiting for the grounds to be suitable”.
Between 25 million and 35 million Kurds live across the Middle East (Image: Getty)
Who are the Kurds?
The Kurds are an ethnic group spread across several countries in the Middle East, including Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria.
Between 25 million and 35 million Kurds live across the mountainous region spanning these countries, making them the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East.
Despite their large population, the Kurds have never achieved a permanent independent state.
In Iran, Kurds make up around 10% of the country’s population of roughly 84 million people.
Most Iranian Kurds live in the north-western regions of the country and are mainly Sunni Muslims, while Iran as a whole is majority Shia Muslim.
Human rights organisations have long raised concerns about the treatment of Kurdish communities in Iran.
Amnesty International has said Iranian Kurds have “long suffered deep-rooted discrimination” and that their social, political and cultural rights have been restricted.
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Kurdish groups in Iran have a long history of opposition to the authorities in Tehran (Image: Getty)
Why are Kurdish groups involved?
Kurdish groups in Iran have a long history of opposition to the authorities in Tehran.
Tensions stretch back decades, including during the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
After the revolution, Kurdish insurgent groups clashed with the new Islamic government, with fighting destroying towns and villages and killing thousands of people.
Some Kurdish opposition groups are now based across the border in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq.
From there they have occasionally clashed with Iranian security forces.
Many of these groups support greater autonomy for Kurdish regions, while some seek a fully independent Kurdish state.
Their fighters also gained significant battle experience during the war against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
Iran has recently stepped up attacks against Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq (Image: Getty)
Latest developments
Iran has recently stepped up attacks against Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq. Iran’s military said it targeted the headquarters of Iranian Kurdish forces with missiles.
In a statement reported by Iranian state media, the military said it attacked “Kurdish groups opposed to the revolution in Iraqi Kurdistan with three missiles”.
The BBC reported that one person was killed and three others injured in strikes on two Kurdish opposition bases.
At one base, a ballistic missile hit a building and injured four Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, one of whom later died.
The BBC said the building was crushed, leaving rubble and twisted metal across the site.
Another base belonging to the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI) was hit by a double drone strike, which reportedly injured one civilian.
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A senior KDPI political leader told the BBC he believed Kurdish fighters would soon be involved in fighting inside Iran, although he did not give a specific timeline.
A Kurdish fighter named Hassan, aged 25, said he hoped to take part. “We are closer than ever,” he told the BBC.
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