Iran used illegal white phosphorus incendiary in drone attack, say Kurdish fighters – report

The Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) has accused Iran of using white phosphorus in a drone attack on one of its bases in northern Iraq on Sunday. The PAK, a separatist militant group of Kurds in Iran, stated, "The Islamic Republic of Iran used munitions containing white phosphorus." This claim is supported by eyewitness observations, medical examinations of nine wounded Peshmerga fighters, and extensive fires at the site. PAK President Hussein Yazdanpanah condemned the act as "a grave crime but also a clear violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law," and called for international accountability.

• White phosphorus is a chemical substance used by militaries for illumination, smokescreens, and as an incendiary, which is difficult to extinguish once ignited.
• Its use as an incendiary weapon directly against humans in a civilian setting may violate Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
• The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) lacks air defenses against such attacks, and Iran has conducted over 900 attacks against the Kurdistan Region recently.
• Another Iranian attack last week killed at least nine Kurdish Iranian dissidents from the Komala Party, and fresh missile and drone strikes targeted Komala bases on Monday.