Holly Williams reports from northern Iraq that members of an armed Iranian opposition group say their camp was struck by a drone on Thursday night, leaving widespread shrapnel damage across the site. The fighters identified themselves as the Khabat Organization of Iranian Kurdistan, which represents Iran’s Kurdish minority. Journalists at the scene recovered part of the drone’s wiring among the debris.
The Khabat group accused either the Iranian government or a Tehran-backed militia of launching the attack. Khabat is one of several Iranian opposition formations based in exile in northern Iraq; its members say they want to see an end to Iran’s current leadership.
A separate Kurdish Iranian group told reporters that the wider conflict involving the United States and Israel could create an opening to press offensives against Tehran, but said they had not received direct U.S. assistance. When asked whether Washington had promised support for cross-border operations, a leader described the matter as too sensitive to discuss.
Analysts and opposition fighters pointed out the sharp imbalance in capabilities between the lightly armed groups—mostly carrying Kalashnikov-style rifles—and the Iranian state, which fields drones and ballistic missiles. The Khabat fighters said their base has been hit by drones in the past and acknowledged the risks of confronting a better-armed adversary despite their determination.
Journalists at the camp documented the damage and collected fragments from the site. The incident underscores ongoing tensions along the Iraq-Iran frontier and the vulnerability of exiled opposition groups operating in the region.