Kurdish Iranian dissident groups based in northern Iraq are preparing for a potential cross-border military operation in Iran, and the U.S. has asked Iraqi Kurds to support them, Kurdish officials have told The Associated Press.

Already Iran and allied Iraqi militias have launched dozens of missiles and drone attacks into northern Iraq, targeting the U.S. bases and consulate in Irbil as well as bases of the Iranian Kurdish dissident groups.

The frequency of attacks by Iran-backed groups is extremely high - residents in Erbil hear booms almost hourly,' said Iraq political analyst Lawk Ghafuri.

The C.I.A. has given small weapons to Iranian Kurdish forces in Iraq in a covert program that began before the current war.

Fears of further escalation within Iraq have been sparked by Iran’s vow to target “all the facilities” in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq if militants are permitted […]