Senior KRG Official Says Militias Striking Kurdistan Are Paid and Armed by Iraqi Government

Peregraf - A senior Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) official has sharply criticized armed factions responsible for recent attacks on the Kurdistan Region, saying the groups are effectively tied to the Iraqi state.

Aziz Ahmad, deputy chief of staff to the KRG prime minister, said in a post on X that militias behind ongoing drone and rocket attacks on the Kurdistan Region are directly connected to the federal government in Iraq.

"Iraqi militias continue to rain rockets and drones on civilian and energy infrastructure in the Kurdistan Region," Ahmad wrote.

He went on to accuse Baghdad of responsibility for the armed groups, stating: "Who are these Iraqi militias? They are part of the Iraqi government, paid by the Iraqi government, and armed by the Iraqi government."

Ahmad urged the federal authorities to take concrete steps to restrain the groups and hold them accountable.

"The KRG urges the federal government to get a grip on these state-backed criminal and rogue actors — to have the willpower to confront and arrest them and for once, keep them in prison," he added.

His remarks come as the war involving the United States and Israel against Iran enters its eighth day, raising concerns that the Kurdistan Region could be drawn further into the expanding regional confrontation.

In recent days, the Kurdistan Region has been hit by a wave of drone and missile attacks. Security sources say more than 100 drones and missiles have struck various locations across the region, in strikes attributed either to Iran or to armed factions aligned with the so-called "Islamic Resistance," a network of Iran-backed groups operating in Iraq.

Attacks on energy facilities in the region have also occurred in the past. Between June 15 and July 25, 2025, several oil fields and key installations across the Kurdistan Region were targeted by drone strikes, causing significant material and economic damage.

Drone and rocket attacks on Kurdish oil infrastructure have become more frequent since 2022, which analysts say reflects growing pressure by pro-Iran militias on the KRG and its international partners operating in the region. Critics argue that despite repeated condemnations from Baghdad, the militias have rarely faced serious accountability.