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Iran Acknowledges Killing Six Peshmerga in Soran as a Mistake Amid Escalating Regional Crisis

On March 24, 2026, six Iranian ballistic missiles struck a Peshmerga base in Soran, Erbil province, killing six Kurdish soldiers and wounding thirty more—the deadliest single attack on the Kurdistan Region since the onset of the current regional conflict. In a significant diplomatic development, Iranian officials subsequently acknowledged to Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani that the strike had been carried out “by mistake,” pledging an investigation even as the Kurdistan Regional Government awaits Tehran’s formal response.

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A Deadly Strike on Peshmerga Forces


In the early hours of March 24, 2026, six Iranian ballistic missiles struck the headquarters of Area Command One of the Peshmerga forces in the Soran administration of Erbil province, northern Iraq. The attack killed six Peshmerga soldiers and wounded an additional thirty, according to the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs. The missiles also targeted units of the 7th and 5th Infantry Divisions, making it the deadliest single assault on the Kurdish autonomous region since the outbreak of wider regional hostilities in late February 2026.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani swiftly condemned the strike as “a direct hostile aggression against the sovereignty of the country,” stating that it had “no justification” and was “completely contrary to the principles of good neighbourliness.” KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani pledged that the regional government would take all necessary measures to resist persistent hostility. KDP President Masoud Barzani, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rasheed, and numerous international partners joined in condemning the attack and calling for restraint.

Speaking at a funeral ceremony for the fallen Peshmerga in Soran, President Nechirvan Barzani disclosed that Iranian officials had privately admitted the strike was an error. “Iran is investigating the attack and has admitted that it carried out the strike by mistake,” he told reporters. “We are currently awaiting Iran’s final response to the Kurdistan Region.” Iranian officials expressed regret and pledged an inquiry, though the acknowledgement has done little to ease tensions across the Region.


The 2026 Kurdish–Iranian Crisis: Background and Context


The March 24 strike must be understood within the broader framework of the 2026 Kurdish–Iranian crisis, a period of dramatically intensified political and armed activity by Kurdish groups in Iran seeking greater autonomy or self-determination. The crisis emerged from the wider 2025–2026 Iranian internal upheaval, in which large-scale protests weakened the Islamic Republic’s grip across multiple regions, including the Kurdish-populated western provinces. Kurdish parties, long exiled in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, had been conducting sporadic cross-border operations for years, but the deepening crisis in Tehran provided new momentum and urgency to the Kurdish political project.

On February 22, 2026, five major Iranian Kurdish parties formally established the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan (CPFIK): the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), the Organisation of Iranian Kurdistan Struggle (Khabat), and the Komala of the Toilers of Kurdistan. The coalition’s stated objectives include the struggle to bring down the Islamic Republic of Iran, the realisation of the Kurdish people’s right to self-determination, and the establishment of a democratic institution representing the Kurdish nation in Eastern Kurdistan.

Iran, citing the presence of these opposition groups on Iraqi-Kurdish territory, launched a series of ballistic missile and drone attacks against the Kurdistan Region beginning on February 28, 2026. The Kurdistan Regional Government repeatedly denied that its territory was being used as a launchpad for offensive operations into Iran, and KRG officials consistently emphasised their desire for de-escalation. The Kurdish struggle for self-determination in Iran has deep historical roots, stretching back to the short-lived Mahabad Republic of 1946, and the current crisis represents one of the most significant turning points for Iranian Kurds in modern history.


Key Developments and International Reactions


On March 2, 2026, a PDKI political analyst stated that party forces had targeted Iranian military and security facilities inside Iran. On March 4, several US media outlets reported that a Kurdish-led ground offensive had begun, with PJAK fighters moving into positions in Iranian Kurdistan. PJAK, PDKI, PAK, and Komala all denied this report the following day. Separately, CNN and other outlets reported that the CIA was working to arm Kurdish forces to foment unrest inside Iran, citing anonymous US intelligence sources—a claim that drew both alarm and cautious optimism from different quarters of the Kurdish political spectrum.

US President Donald Trump initially appeared to express some support for Kurdish involvement in operations against Iran, but reversed course on March 7–8, publicly stating he did not want Kurdish fighters “to get hurt or killed” and describing the situation as “complicated enough.” The KRG reiterated its neutrality, while the KDP Parliamentary Bloc in Baghdad demanded that the Iraqi federal government and the international community act decisively to protect the Kurdistan Region from further attacks. Al Jazeera and other major outlets noted the historical precedent of great powers enlisting Kurdish support only to later abandon Kurdish aspirations.

The KRG Department of Foreign Relations issued a formal statement strongly condemning “unjustifiable attacks on citizens, civilian institutions, and diplomatic missions.” Human rights organisations also reported that Iranian intelligence services were conducting widespread arrests of Kurdish civilians in Iran’s Kurdistan provinces, with at least three civilians—including a child—killed during protests as of March 23, 2026. The confluence of military strikes and civilian repression has drawn sharp condemnation from international observers and Kurdish advocacy organisations worldwide.


Key Events Timeline


  • February 22, 2026 — The Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan (CPFIK) is formally established, uniting five major Iranian Kurdish parties.

  • February 28, 2026 — Iran and Iran-aligned militias begin a series of ballistic missile and drone strikes against the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

  • March 2, 2026 — PDKI announces its forces have targeted Iranian military facilities; CPFIK issues its first joint statement urging Iranian forces to stand down.

  • March 4–5, 2026 — US media reports a Kurdish ground offensive into Iran; all major Kurdish parties deny any offensive has begun.

  • March 7–8, 2026 — President Trump reverses earlier statements, saying he does not want Kurdish fighters entering the conflict with Iran.

  • March 24, 2026 — Six Iranian ballistic missiles strike the Peshmerga headquarters in Soran, killing six soldiers and wounding thirty; Iran later acknowledges the strike was a ‘mistake.’


Questions & Answers


Q: Why did Iran strike a Peshmerga base in Soran on March 24, 2026?

A: Iran claimed its strikes on the Kurdistan Region were aimed at Iranian Kurdish opposition groups—particularly CPFIK-affiliated parties—which it accused of using Iraqi-Kurdish territory as a base for operations against Iran. The KRG denied that its forces were participating in any offensive. Iran later acknowledged that the specific March 24 strike on Peshmerga Area Command One in Soran was carried out by mistake, and President Nechirvan Barzani stated that Iran had expressed regret and pledged an investigation.

Q: What is the CPFIK and what are its goals?

A: The Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan (CPFIK), formally established on February 22, 2026, is an alliance of five major Iranian Kurdish parties: PDKI, PAK, PJAK, Khabat, and Komala. Its stated goals are to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran, achieve the Kurdish people’s right to self-determination, and establish a democratic institution representing the Kurdish nation in Eastern (Iranian) Kurdistan.

Q: How has the Kurdistan Regional Government responded to the attacks?

A: The KRG has condemned all strikes in the strongest terms. President Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, and KDP President Masoud Barzani have all publicly denounced the attacks. The KRG called on the Iraqi federal government and the international community to intervene, while affirming that Peshmerga forces retain the right to defend themselves. The KRG has consistently stressed that it does not wish to be drawn into the wider regional conflict.

Q: What role has the United States played in the Kurdish–Iranian crisis?

A: The US position has been complex and shifting. Reports emerged in early March 2026 that the CIA was working to arm Kurdish forces to foment unrest inside Iran. President Trump initially appeared open to Kurdish involvement but then publicly distanced the US from encouraging Kurds to enter the fighting, warning he did not want to see them “get hurt or killed.” Analysts have drawn parallels to historical episodes in which the US enlisted Kurdish support and then withdrew it, most notably in 1975 after the Algiers Accord.


Conclusion


The Iranian ballistic missile strike on the Peshmerga base in Soran on March 24, 2026, and Tehran’s subsequent admission that the attack was carried out by mistake, encapsulates the dangerous volatility of the current regional moment. The Kurdish people—both in the KRG and across the border in Iran—find themselves at the intersection of a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape, caught between the ambitions of larger powers and their own long-standing aspirations for self-determination. How the Kurdistan Region navigates this crisis will have profound implications for Kurdish political futures for generations to come.


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