Iranian Kurd leader in Iraq says ground operation into Iran ‘highly likely’

Babaseikh Hosseini tells Al Jazeera that ‘there is a strong probability of action’, as the IRGC announces strikes on rebel targets in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish Region.Published On 7 Mar 2026The leader of an Iranian Kurdish nationalist group based in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish Region has told Al Jazeera that it is “highly likely” that Iranian Kurds will stage a cross-border ground operation into Iran.Babasheikh Hosseini, the secretary-general of the Khabat Organisation of Iranian Kurdistan, said on Friday that there was no operation “at this point” but the United States had made contact with the group and it was considering a campaign.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Drones strike US base in Iraq, Doha explosions, as Iran hits region in warlist 2 of 4Cost to US for war on Iran is $3.7bn in first 100 hours, says think tanklist 3 of 4Kurdish opposition mulls whether to trust Trump after Iran uprising calllist 4 of 4Iran to halt strikes on neighbours unless attacks from there: Pezeshkianend of list“We have been planning for a long time, and now that conditions are more favourable, there is a strong probability of action,” Hosseini told Al Jazeera from the Kurdish Region.“We have yet to reach a decisive decision, but it is highly likely we will move forward with a ground operation,” Hosseini added.The rebel leader concluded: “The Americans have contacted us through various channels but until now, we have not met directly – but they contacted us.”Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday that it had targeted “separatist groups” in the Kurdish Region, as the Iran" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="38678" data-entity-type="event">US-Israel war on Iran entered its second week.“Three locations of separatist groups in the Iraqi region (of Kurdistan) were hit … this morning,” the IRGC said in a statement carried by the Tasnim News Agency.“If separatist groups in the region [of Kurdistan] make any move against Iran’s territorial integrity, we will crush them.”‘Iraqi territory must not a launching point’The reported attack was carried out hours after the Iraqi government and the semi-autonomous Kurdish Regional Government said on Friday that Iraq must not be a launchpad for attacks against neighbouring countries, following reports that fighters might attempt to cross into Iran.