The Interior Minister of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said the terrorist group PKK, which operates in KRG-controlled northern Iraq, is the source of all problems in the region.
"The PKK should leave the territory of the 'Kurdish region,'" Minister Reber Ahmed said on Monday.
In a statement to the press, Ahmed said the presence of the terrorist PKK in the region is illegal, adding: "I am pleased to state that the Iraqi government has recently decided that the PKK is a banned organization. The PKK needs to leave those areas to prevent the local people and villagers from facing problems and suffering.” PKK terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq, near the Turkish border, to plot attacks in Türkiye. They are also accused of terrorizing locals in northern Syria.
Last week, Miqdad Miri al-Moussawi, spokesperson for Iraq’s Interior Ministry in the capital Baghdad, said that members of the PKK were behind recent fires in Irbil, the KRG capital, and Duhok, also part of the KRG, as well as in Kirkuk. Al-Mousawi reported that those arrested confessed in their statements that they planned to start fires in other regions as well. The PKK has also been accused of starting large forest fires in Türkiye.
In its nearly 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S., and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.
Since Turkish operations have driven its domestic presence to near extinction, the PKK has moved a large chunk of its operations to northern Iraq. Ankara maintains dozens of military bases there, and it regularly launches operations against the PKK, which uses a stronghold in the Qandil Mountains, located roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the Turkish border in Irbil.
After the PKK killed 21 Turkish soldiers in the Metina region, Ankara intensified airstrikes on PKK targets and hideouts in the region.
Turkish officials have repeatedly urged Iraq, as well as the KRG, to recognize the PKK as a terrorist group, stressing that the group, which occupies Sinjar, Makhmour, Qandil and Sulaymaniyah, threatens the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq.
Türkiye has also criticized the PKK's gaining footing in the KRG-run city of Sulaymaniyah and warned “further measures” would be taken if the city’s administration continues to tolerate terrorists.
Türkiye’s escalating counterterrorism operations in northern Iraq in recent weeks spurred rumors that a wider summer offensive against the terrorist group is already underway. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signaled months ago that they were considering more operations against the group this summer to clear the region of the PKK. Officials often emphasize efforts to close the security loop and sever the ties between the group’s leaders in Iraq and its Syrian wing, the YPG. The “terror corridor” is already targeted by the army and Turkish intelligence in Syria and Iraq. Unconfirmed reports say the Turkish army is already advancing along a road connecting Iraq to Syria and has occasionally carried out operations since last month. Airstrikes have also targeted Mount Gara, where PKK members have a major hideout.
