The Iraqi Islamic Party, one of the largest Sunni-led parties in Türkiye's southern neighbor, expressed concern over the increasing terrorist activities of the PKK in the country. The party called on the Baghdad administration Tuesday to cooperate with Türkiye on the matter.
"The Iraqi Islamic Party is closely monitoring the increase in terrorist activities of the banned PKK terrorist organization in Iraq. These activities pose a great political and security threat and need to be resolved," it said in a statement. The statement emphasized that Türkiye's operations against the presence of the terrorist organization in Iraq are a natural response to the spread of the terrorist group, which creates a "dangerous security gap," and noted that regional developments filled with conflicts and instability also affect Iraq’s fragile state.
"The continued presence of the PKK terrorist organization in Iraq and its ongoing terrorist activities against neighboring country Türkiye will hinder the development of political and economic relations with Türkiye.
"We strongly condemn the ongoing terrorist activities of the PKK against Türkiye. Iraq needs to move from the stage of 'not accepting its territories to be used as a base for attacks against other countries' to the stage of solving the issue (of the PKK's presence in Iraq) through a joint plan and cooperation with Türkiye without any hesitation," the statement added.
Since Turkish operations have driven its domestic presence to near extinction, the PKK has moved a large chunk of its operations to northern Iraq, including a stronghold in the Qandil Mountains, located roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the Turkish border in Irbil.
Türkiye aims to wipe out the PKK from its borders and create a 30-40 kilometer deep security corridor along the Iraqi and Syrian borders. Türkiye’s escalating counterterrorism operations in northern Iraq in recent weeks have led to speculation that a wider summer offensive against the terrorist group is already underway.
The PKK is not designated a terrorist organization in Iraq but is banned from launching operations against Türkiye from Iraqi territory. It nevertheless has a foothold in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous north controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), where the central Iraqi government has little influence.
Türkiye's cross-border operations into northern Iraq have been a source of tension with its southeastern neighbor for years. Ankara has asked Iraq for more cooperation in combating the PKK. As a result, Baghdad labeled the group a banned organization in March and set up two military bases in the Zakho region in April.
The PKK has stepped up its attacks against Iraqi targets recently. Baghdad announced earlier this month that PKK members were behind a string of arsons in the country, including those concentrated in KRG-controlled areas. The Interior Ministry paraded three PKK suspects at a news conference and perpetrators confessed that they planned to set more fires elsewhere, adding that they also plotted to sabotage the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline between Iraq and Türkiye, as well as two commercial districts in Baghdad.
On Tuesday, the KRG announced that the PKK was responsible for a recent attack on a party official. PKK terrorists have targeted numerous civilians and members of the security forces in the KRG over the past three years and have been attempting assassinations for some time, the regional government said in a statement on Facebook.
This came after an attack on Monday targeting Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) official Ekrem Salih in the Kelar district of Sulaymaniyah province. Salih escaped uninjured when his car was blown up after suspects planted explosives. The statement emphasized that the PKK terrorist organization has been harming trade and citizens by burning marketplaces in the region. The PKK is "jeopardizing the future of the region and its actions will not go unanswered," it added, pointing out that the terrorist group is also involved in drug trafficking and distribution at an international level.