Iranian regime targets Kurdish city in crackdown on protests

Iran has deployed troops to a Kurdish-majority city in an attempt to regain control of the town that was taken over by protesters in recent days.

After ceremonies were held for two protesters who were recently killed in the small Kurdish-majority city of Mahabad, Those ceremonies soon turned to fierce protesting and the protesters gaining control of the city.

Gunfire could be heard in videos taken throughout the city as the protests intensified, with the Iranian regime eventually responding by cutting power and internet access in parts of Mahabad.

The streets of Mahabad are packed with military vehicles, with authorities reportedly imposing martial law in the city.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has reportedly entered Mahabad with heavy military weapons and equipment... The lives of many people are in danger," The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan said in a statement on the situation.

The party called on human rights organisations to not remain silent over "the massacre of the Kurdish people," arguing silence from the international community will only embolden the Iranian regime.

Iranian authorities have struggled to get a grip on protests that originated after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amin at the hands of police in September.

Gunmen on motorcycles in Iran killed nine people, including two children, in mysterious attacks as protests over Mahsa Amini's death intensified on the anniversary of a bloody 2019 crackdown.