In Pictures

Tensions build along Iraq-Iran border

The separatist Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran is aiming to consolidate its control over the area.

The KPDI has several bases along the Iraq-Iran border. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

8 Aug 2017

The Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), which seeks Kurdish autonomy in the country and has been exiled to Iraq, has been intensifying its presence along the border area in recent days.

The separatist group helped to defend northern Iraq against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS), and with the battle for Mosul now over, it is focusing on consolidating its control over parts of the Iraq-Iran border.

Last month, the KDPI and local villagers reported an Iranian shelling attack near the party’s bases in Iraq, which they described as an escalation of military operations. The upcoming Iraqi Kurdish independence referendum in September could also change the game in this crucial border area.

The KDPI has been reinforcing its military presence after declaring the end of a ceasefire in 2016. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

Many Iranian Kurds in the KDPI have been living in the Iraqi border area for years. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

KDPI commanders watch an Iranian Revolutionary Guard outpost around 5km away. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

The KDPI seeks Kurdish autonomy in Iran. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

KDPI members and local villagers said Iran recently shelled a base in the border area. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

The KDPI says it does not operate under a religious flag, incorporating members from a variety of faiths. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

Conflict over the years has left the border area peppered with landmines. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

The KDPI holds a training session for Iranian recruits. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

Women are also present in the KDPI's ranks, although in lesser numbers. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

The KDPI controls an extended area of the border in Iraq's Kurdish region. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

KDPI fighters have taken part in defensive operations along smuggling routes to Iran. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

The KDPI is banned in Iran. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

An upcoming Kurdish independence referendum in Iraq could have significant implications for the KDPI's future. [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera]

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