Researchers working in the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG)-controlled region in northern Iraq, where the PKK has hideouts, say that the terrorist group, its affiliates and offshoots harm the country’s security.
Abdurrahman Sengali, a lecturer at Nawroz University in Duhok, Iraq, told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Monday that PKK terrorists "have been attacking various parts of Türkiye and the KRG and planning new attacks." Stressing that this situation is illegal and unacceptable under international law, Sengali stated this is an attack on the security of both the semi-autonomous KRG and the rest of Iraq.
Saying that the terrorist group PKK "caused the regional economy to collapse," Sengali added, "The PKK terrorists caused the evacuation of hundreds of villages, as the locals can’t live or practice agriculture there." The terrorists have established offshoots under various names in Iraq, Syria, Türkiye and Iran, he said, adding, "There is no country where people accept a structure that opposes the established state because this poses a threat to the security of that state." Calling the existence of PKK-affiliated groups under various names a serious risk to the country’s security, Sengali said he welcomes the ban on the activities of so-called political parties linked with the PKK terror group. "This decision taken in Iraq (declaring the PKK a ‘banned group’) will prevent them from taking part in the political process. Banning them will make the political process work better," he stressed.
Saying that the terrorist PKK (which claims to fight for Kurdish self-rule) has not benefited Kurds in any way, Sengali added that the PKK "has always been a threat, launched terrorist acts against local party leaders, burned markets and hindered the livelihood of the people of the region."
"Iraq has decided that groups directed and supported from outside the country cannot carry out military or political activities and that this is prohibited," said Sami Rekani, a political scientist at Duhok University. Economic cooperation projects between Ankara and Baghdad in the fields of water resources and similar areas have also strengthened their security agreements, he said. Rekani also stressed that Iraq should take steps to reduce threats to Türkiye as part of agreements between the two countries. "With these steps, Iraq has closed the way for these structures to carry out military and political activities,” he said, adding that Türkiye's counterterrorism Operation Claw-Lock in northern Iraq, just across the Turkish border, is also part of the agreement reached between Türkiye and Iraq. Rekani said this also "puts pressure on the PKK/YPG terrorist presence in Syria,” adding, "This process is ongoing, but the U.S. is also supporting the PKK/YPG." Türkiye has long complained of the U.S. working with the PKK/YPG on the pretext of fighting Daesh. Turkish officials say using one terrorist group to fight another is a flawed strategy.
On Aug. 6, Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council banned the activities of three political parties for links with the PKK terrorist group. This March, the Iraqi government declared the PKK a "banned organization." Terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq, just across the Turkish border, to plot terror attacks in Türkiye. Türkiye, in 2022, launched Operation Claw-Lock to target PKK's hideouts in northern Iraq's Metina, Zap and the Avasin-Basyan regions.
