Report: Iran's Revolutionary Guards attack Kurdish positions in Iraq

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has launched an attack on Kurdish positions in northern Iraq near the border with Iran, the Mehr news agency, which is close to the government in Tehran, reported on Sunday.

"The headquarters of the Komala terrorist and separatist group in Iraq's Balisan was targeted in a drone operation by the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces overnight, within the framework of pre-emptive offensive measures," Mehr reported on its website.

There were initially no reports of casualties.

Tehran classifies many Kurdish groups in Iraq as "terrorist groups." According to human rights advocates, the Kurdish minority in Iran is also subject to repression.

In recent years, the IRGC has repeatedly attacked Kurdish targets in Iraq. Tensions along the border have increased since the start of the war with the United States and Israel.

The Kurds are an ethnic group with an estimated population of 30 million, living primarily in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. For decades, they have fought for a state of their own and have long faced persecution and repression in both Iraq and Iran.

The autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq emerged following the overthrow of dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.