Iran army penetrates Iraqi territory, controls strategic mountain

The Iranian army has advanced nearly 20 kilometres into Iraqi Kurdistan region on Monday evening and controlled the strategic Surin mountain, north of Sulaymaniyah province, Kurdish Peshmerga sources said Tuesday.

A Peshmerga official told The New Arab news site that Iranian military units have penetrated into Iraqi villages and towns in the Kurdistan region under the pretext of chasing Iranian Kurdish armed opposition stationed in the Iraqi border areas with Iran.

The official said the Iranian forces had controlled the strategic mountain of Surin, which is more than 2,000 meters high and oversees the cities of Sulaymaniyah and Halabja.

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Kurdish political activist, Soran Balani told the news site that the Iranian forces have set up a missile and artillery platform on top of the mountain.

Balani claimed that leaks confirm that the Iranian strikes against the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) in Iraqi Kurdistan two days ago which killed at least 15 people and wounded about 50 others; including children and women was launched from platforms located on Surin mountain, but noted that the leaks are not confirmed.

He pointed out that the Kurdish opposition parties in Iraqi Kurdistan have obtained confirmed information that Iran intends to carry out an attack inside the Kurdistan region of Iraq against Iranian Peshmerga.

A leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Majid Shankali told The New Arab that Iran has stepped up pressure on Iraq at various levels which requires the Iraqi Foreign Ministry in Baghdad to assume its responsibility.