KDP forces along with the Turkish army are fighting PKK militants: Kurdish MP saysÌý
KDP forces along with the Turkish army are fighting PKK militants: Kurdish MP saysÌý
Forces loyal to the ruling KDP are supporting Turkey in its fight against the PKK militants in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, says a Kurdish lawmaker to °®Âþµº.Ìý
2 min read
French President Emmanuel Macron (R), and the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Masoud Barzani (C) pose for a group photo with female members of the Kurdish Peshmerga. [Getty]
Peshmerga forces loyal to the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) are supporting the Turkish army in itsÌýOperation Claw Lock early this week againstÌýKurdistan Workers Party's (PKK) militantsÌýseeking refuge in theÌýmountainous areas of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, an MP from the Kurdistan parliament told °®Âþµº on Tuesday.Ìý
"Forces loyal to the KDP that areÌýwithin the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of ministries of peshmerga affairs and interior are aiding the Turkish army in fighting the PKKÌýin the Kurdistan region,"ÌýBalanbo Mohammad Ali, an MPÌýfrom the ruling Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and member in the Kurdistan parliament's peshmerga committee said toÌý°®Âþµº in response to a media inquiry request via WhatsApp.
"RojÌýPeshmerga, that consist of Syrian Kurds {trained by Turkey} and equipped by the KDP from the public budget, are also fighting along with the Turkish army against PKK," he claimed.Ìý
Ali said that the Kurdistan parliament has not noticed nor acknowledged KDP's involvement in the fight against the PKK.Ìý
on Wednesday said that both Baghdad and the leaders of the autonomous Kurdish region based in supported Turkey's ground and air assault.
The MP also addedÌýthat KDP's purpose from this move is "to create chaosÌýto divert the attention of the people of Kurdistan from local issues and comes days after the KRG PM Masrour Barzani met with Erdogan."Ìý
"The deployment of Iraqi armed forces into the Kurdistan region needs an authorisation from the president of the Kurdistan region who subsequently should be authorized by the Kurdistan parliament,"ÌýAli noted, further stressing that neither KRG's minister of peshmerga affairs nor PUKÌýagreed to this deployment or to fight against the PKK.Ìý
However, a well-informed source speaking on the condition of anonymity told °®Âþµº that there isÌýan agreement between Turkey, Iraq, and the two main Kurdish parties, the KDP and the PUK,Ìýto "totally eliminate the PKK fighters from the Kurdistan region."Ìý
For his part, the secretary-general of the KRG ministry of peshmerga, Jabar Yawar, denied toÌý°®Âþµº any involvement with the Turkish military operation in Iraq.Ìý
"We neither participate in this operation nor have any relation with any Turkish military and intelligence agencies. News reports of our involvement in this operation are not true," he said.ÌýÌý
The PKK has been waging an insurgency for greater autonomous rights against the Turkish state since 1984, withÌýtens of thousands estimated to have been killed so far.Ìý
Ìý
