ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji met with senior Kurdish security officials and political leaders in Sulaimani on Thursday to discuss the implementation of a security pact between Baghdad and Tehran concerning Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region.
The meeting comes as Iran continues to target Kurdish groups it considers a threat to its national security, despite a US-Iran ceasefire that has largely brought an end to regional hostilities.
A statement from Araji’s office said the meeting was held under the directives of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to discuss “the security agreement between Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Iranian Kurdish opposition groups are currently based in six camps across the Kurdistan Region — four in Erbil province and two in Sulaimani province. Under a security agreement signed between Baghdad and Tehran in September 2023, the groups were to be disarmed and relocated to designated areas.
Araji’s office added that “the meeting also included discussions on the measures required to ensure its [security pact’s] implementation, in a manner that contributes to enhancing joint cooperation and coordination, and protecting Iraqi borders.”
Iran intensified its attacks on Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in the Kurdistan Region following the outbreak of its war with the United States and Israel on February 28, accusing the groups of pursuing “separatist” ambitions and attempting to infiltrate Iranian territory.
Iran and its allied groups have carried out at least 865 drone and missile attacks on the Kurdistan Region since the conflict began.
During his visit to Sulaimani, Araji also met with Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the dominant political party in the province.
Talabani said in a Facebook post that the meeting, attended by senior security officials, stressed the importance of continued cooperation between Iraqi and Kurdistan Region security institutions to address threats to the country's stability.
