Abdul El-Sayed defies $60 Million campaign against him, wins Michigan Democratic Senate Primary

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  By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Kurdish Policy Analysis Despite massive spending by outside groups and high-profile endorsements for his opponent, Abdul El-Sayed secured a decisive Democratic Senate primary victory and now heads into a closely watched November showdown. Abdul El-Sayed has scored one of the most closely watched political upsets of the 2026 election cycle, defeating Representative Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary despite facing more than $60 million in outside spending , much of it from pro-Israel political groups. The victory marks a significant breakthrough for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and sets up a high-stakes general election contest against Republican Mike Rogers in November. El-Sayed's campaign prevailed even after Stevens received late endorsements from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and influential national Democrats, including Representative James Clyburn . Those endorsements failed to reverse momentum behind El-S...

Iran Accused of Drone Strike Near Erbil as Kurdish Base Hit, Three Fighters Wounded

Cross-border attacks intensify amid fragile ceasefire claims and regional escalation

PAK says four drones targeted its position in northern Iraq just hours after reported ceasefire extension involving Iran

By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj, SULAIMANI,  Kurdish Policy Analysis, April 22 – An Iranian Kurdish opposition group said its base near Erbil in northern Iraq was struck by drones early Wednesday, in an attack it blamed on Iran that injured three of its members, according to a statement.

The Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) said the base was hit at approximately 1:24 a.m. local time by four drones, describing the incident as an Iranian strike targeting one of its positions near the Kurdistan Region’s capital.

“Tehran launched an attack at 1:24 AM using four drones against one of the bases of the PAK,” the group said, adding that three fighters were wounded in the incident.

The group did not immediately provide further details on the condition of the injured or the extent of material damage.

The reported strike came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced an extension of a ceasefire understanding with Iran, according to regional media reports, though the scope and enforcement of such arrangements remain unclear.

Despite the declared ceasefire framework, Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region have repeatedly accused Tehran of continuing cross-border attacks. Iranian authorities have previously argued that such groups are not covered under ceasefire understandings and have accused them of carrying out militant activity against Iran.

The alleged strike follows a series of recent incidents. On Friday, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) said Iranian attacks killed three of its members, including two women fighters. Another Kurdish opposition group, Komala, also reported the death of a female member who had been wounded in a separate strike in Sulaimani province.

An umbrella alliance of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups condemned the continued attacks, calling on Baghdad to take “practical, legal, and transparent steps” to prevent further incidents on Iraqi territory.

The alliance also criticized international representatives in Iraq, saying their response had been insufficient and risked encouraging further escalation.

Neither Iraqi nor Iranian authorities immediately commented on the latest reported drone strike.

The attack fits into a broader pattern of Iranian cross-border operations:
https://kurdishpolicyanalysis.blogspot.com/2026/04/irgc-drone-missile-strikes-kurdish-opposition-erbil.html

Analysts say such incidents are tied to larger geopolitical calculations involving Kurdish regions:
https://kurdishpolicyanalysis.blogspot.com/2026/04/iran-kurdish-wildcard-rojhelat-strategic-role-conflict.html

Related analysis:
US strategic discussions involving Kurdish actors:

https://kurdishpolicyanalysis.blogspot.com/2026/04/kurds-us-strategy-iran-geopolitical-narrative-analysis.html 

#Iraq #Iran #Kurdistan #Erbil #MiddleEast #BreakingNews #DroneStrike #Security

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