KRG urges Turkey, Iran stop bombing Kurdistan Region

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – On Sunday, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) asked both Turkey and Iran to stop bombing the Kurdistan Region, and urged Kurdish opposition parties not to use the Region’s soil to attack neighboring countries.

The Republic of Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Iran have started to shell the Kurdistan Region border, aiming to target Kurdish rebel groups. These groups include the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Kurdistan Democratic Party – Iran (PDKI) fighters.

Both countries continue to strike the two Kurdish fighters on its respective border with Kurdistan.

The continued bombardments have wounded many Kurdish civilians. Villagers near the border have been forcibly displaced and their agricultural fields damaged.

On Sunday, the KRG Council of Ministers issued a statement regarding the violence.

“In the past few days, the borders of the Kurdistan Region were attacked by the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Turkey,” the statement read.

“[The bombardment has injured] several Kurdistan Region civilians, forcing dozens of villagers to abandon their homes, and damaging livestock, crops and the natural environment of the Region,” the report added.

The KRG expressed its concern and asked the neighboring countries, Iran and Turkey, to end their attacks on the Kurdistan Region borders.

“The [KRG] is committed to international laws to protect the borders of neighboring countries and to work for achieving peace and stability for the people of Kurdistan, Iran, Turkey and the entire region,” read the statement.

Additionally, the KRG urged PDKI and PKK not use the Region’s border as military bases.

“We ask all parties to stop using Kurdistan territories to launch attacks against the neighbors of the Region, and to respect the stability, legal obligations, and friendly relations with its neighbors,” the KRG said.

The Kurdistan Region Human Rights Committee also released a statement asking Iran and Turkey to end their assault where civilians have become the primary victims. 

The committee also urged the federal government of Iraq to react and compensate civilian damages.

On Sunday, Iranian artilleries began to heavily shell Haji Omaran and Sidakan areas in the Province of Erbil located on the Kurdistan border.

The bombardment injured four civilians and led many villagers to leave their homes.

Previously, the Mayor of Sidakan Karwan Karimkhan told Kurdistan24 that “more than 100 villages have evacuated [in the last decade] due to clashes between Turkey and PKK.”

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany