The Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) has accused Iran of using white phosphorus in a drone attack against one of its bases on Sunday.
The PAK is a separatist militant group of Kurds in Iran that is based in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.
Iran has carried out numerous deadly attacks against Kurdish Iranian dissident groups. Many of these groups are based in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region because the Iranian regime has oppressed them, and they have been forced to leave Iran. The PAK is one of the groups.
A drone attack carried out early on Sunday morning had targeted a base of the PAK’s Kurdistan National Army (SMK), the PAK said later in the day. The SMK is the PAK’s unit of fighters.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran used munitions containing white phosphorus,” the PAK said.
The PAK is one of at least six different Kurdish Iranian opposition groups that are part of a coalition against the regime. The other groups are PDKI, PJAK, two branches of the Komala party, and a group called Khabat.
The PAK played a key role in the battle against ISIS. Its Kurdish Peshmerga fighters helped repel ISIS attacks on numerous fronts from 2014-2019.
“Based on eyewitness observations, medical examinations of nine wounded Peshmerga fighters, and the extensive fires caused at the targeted site, the munitions employed in the drone attack are believed to have contained white phosphorus,” the PAK said Sunday.
A grave violation of international humanitarian law
PAK President Hussein Yazdanpanah, who is also the commander of the SMK, said: “This act is not only a grave crime but also a clear violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law. The use of munitions that inflict severe incendiary effects and cause widespread harm to people and the environment is incompatible with humanitarian principles and the international legal obligations of states.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), white phosphorus “is a chemical waxy solid substance typically appearing yellowish or colorless, and some have described its odor as resembling garlic.
“It is often used by militaries to illuminate battlefields, to generate a smokescreen, and as an incendiary. Once ignited, white phosphorus is very difficult to extinguish. It sticks to surfaces such as skin and clothing.”
Yazdanpanah said this crime should be addressed by the international community.
“We call upon the secretary-general of the United Nations, the United Nations Security Council, the United Nations Human Rights Council, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and all relevant international institutions to take the necessary legal measures to hold the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable,” he said.
Yazdanpanah called on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to protect the “security, rights, and environment of their citizens against Iran’s military aggression and cross-border attacks.”
Nine Kurdish militants killed last week
THE KRG does not have air defenses against drone attacks. In recent months, the Iranians and Iranian-backed militias have carried out more than 900 attacks against the Kurdistan Region that have caused death and destruction.
In some cases, the US, which has a large consulate in Erbil and forces in the region, has been able to shoot down drones and missile threats. Over the past week, at least nine other Kurdish Iranian dissidents were killed in an Iranian attack on the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan in the KRG.
The PAK said: “Silence in the face of the use of prohibited weapons only paves the way for the repetition of such dangerous crimes. Defending human dignity, protecting civilians, and upholding international humanitarian law are shared responsibilities of all states and international institutions.”
White phosphorus is considered a controversial weapon, and its use has been reduced over the years by many militaries.
According to the WHO, “The use of white phosphorus may violate Protocol III (on the use of incendiary weapons) of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCCW) in one specific instance: if it is used, on purpose, as an incendiary weapon directly against humans in a civilian setting.”
It can be used by militaries legally to illuminate a battlefield.
“To establish an illegal use under the CCCW, an investigation into the intent behind the use of white phosphorus would be needed,” the WHO said.
Iran continued its attacks against Kurdish groups on Monday.
“Iran launched fresh missile and drone strikes on bases belonging to the Iranian Kurdish opposition group Komala in the Kurdistan Region early Monday, the party said on Monday, just a day after nine of its members killed in an earlier attack were laid to rest,” Kurdistan Region-based news channel Rudaw Media Network reported.
“Amjad Hussein Panahi, head of communications for the group, said missiles struck the group’s headquarters in Alana valley in Erbil’s Choman district shortly after midnight before two drones targeted another base in Surdash camp near Sulaimani about an hour later,” the report said.
Regarding the attack on the PAK, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights “expressed grave concern over reports that the Islamic Republic of Iran used prohibited chemical-incendiary munitions in the Kurdistan Region.
Hengaw called on the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to establish an independent international fact-finding mission to conduct an on-site investigation, examine those injured in the attack, and determine whether prohibited weapons were used.”
Hengaw is a human-rights group that often focuses on Kurdish rights in Iran and abuses in Kurdish areas.