Iraq’s president condemned attacks by the Islamic Republic on Kurdish parties opposed to the Iranian government in the cities of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan region.

In a statement, Nizar Amidi stressed that any targeting of Iraqi territory, under any pretext, is an unacceptable violation of the country’s sovereignty and threatens the security and stability of its citizens. He said that Iraq will not accept the battleground of conflicts or the scene of regional score-settling, and added that his country is committed to relationships based on mutual respect and good neighborliness.

On Friday, drone and rocket attacks in Iraq’s Kurdistan region killed nine members of an Iranian Kurdish opposition party. The party, which operates in exile, said the Islamic Republic was responsible for the attack. The Kurdistan Regional Government also raised the same accusation.

In Erbil, the center of the Kurdistan region, several drones were brought down, and journalists from the French news agency heard the sound of intense explosions in the city.