The day after it was first reported that Iranian Kurds, based in Iraq, are planning to launch an offensive against Iran, several alleged videos emerged on social media. Fox News on Wednesday reported that ‘thousands’ of Kurds have already ‘launched a ground offensive into Iran’ following talks with the Trump administration.
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Video emerges
Fox host Will Cain and army veteran Bill Roggio discussed the latest development on Wednesday.
“Fox News Alert: big breaking news in the last 30 minutes. US officials are telling Fox that thousands of Iraqi Kurds have launched a ground offensive into Iran. Bill Roggio is a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and a US Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bill, what do you make of this news with the Iraqi Kurds?” Cain said.
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“Well, it’s very soon, but this appears to be an Iranian Kurdish group known as the PJAK. This group is actually listed by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization—also listed by Iran and Turkey. It’s akin to the PKK, or the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which operates in Iraq and Syria. We have to be very cautious about dealing with groups like this,” Roggio replied.
Meanwhile, videos of the alleged launch appeared on social media.
Meanwhile, a Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan (CPFIK) source told i24NEWS that fighters have taken up positions in the mountains near Mariwan in western Iran. The report added that Iranian forces withdrew from the city on March 3. The Jerusalem Post cited Israeli and American sources to report about ‘ground activity’ inside Iran.
Fact-check
However, there are no verified videos showing any incursion. Multiple sources told The New Region that no Kurdish forces have crossed the borders into Iran, and no offensive has been launched.
Axios reporter Barak Ravid had initially posted on X that a senior US official confirmed to him Kurdish-Iranian groups had launched a ground offensive. However, he later clarified, tweeting: “Update: There are conflicting reports regarding what is currently happening in northwestern Iran near the border with Iraq. It is unclear whether a ground offensive by the Iranian-Kurdish militias has already begun or may be launched in the coming hours. A senior official in one of the Iranian-Kurdish factions denied to me that a ground offensive has started.”
Khalil Nadiri, an official with the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that some of their forces had moved to areas near the Iranian border and were on standby. However, he did not confirm details.