PKK serving as a means for Turkey to weaken Iraqi Kurdistan, says KRG spokesperson

KRG spokesperson Jotiar Adil has said that the PKK is serving as a means for Turkey to conduct a series of operations into Iraqi Kurdistan and weaken the region politically. "The cause of the PKK is not in Kurdistan Region or Iraq. It is in Turkey. Their presence here has a political reason, and in our opinion, their policies are against the Kurdistan Region," he said.

Thursday June 17 2021 11:35 pm

Turkish Defense Minister is seen touring a military base in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region on May 1 in this file photo.

Duvar English

The war between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is politically serving to weaken the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), said KRG spokesperson Jotiar Adil on June 15.

Describing the PKK's policies as against the KRG, Adil said: "The cause of the PKK is not in Kurdistan Region or Iraq. It is in Turkey. Their presence here has a political reason.”

Adil made the comments during an interview with Rudaw.

Amid concerns that a conflict might break out between the KRG and PKK, Adil said: "We in no way want an intra-Kurdish war... the Kurdistan Region will not be party to any fight.”

The spokesperson said that Turkey is using the PKK as an excuse to conduct a series of operations into Iraqi Kurdistan.

"We believe that this force's presence serves as an excuse for the Turkish military, and the main objective of it in our opinion is to weaken the Kurdistan Region as an entity," Adil said.

The KRG wants the fight between Turkey and the PKK moved outside its borders, Adil said.

"If the PKK leaves, there will be no excuse left for the Turkish military to come and set up bases in the Kurdistan Region. As long as the PKK stays there, these issues will remain," he said.

Turkey has established a number of military outposts inside Iraqi territory in the Kurdistan Region since the mid-1990s to fight the PKK, increasing its cross-border footprint in recent years.

Baghdad has lodged formal protests on a number of occasions about violations of its territory by Turkish forces and aircraft, but to no avail, and in recent years, Ankara has stepped up its airstrikes in the Kurdistan Region, killing top operatives of the PKK.