Kurdish MP warns of occupation as Iraqi PM threatens action over riots in Kurdistan

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – After two days of violent protests in the Kurdistan Region, the Prime Minister of Iraq Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday warned that Baghdad would take action if any citizens were attacked in the region.

Protests that began on Monday turned to riots on Tuesday as well as demonstrations took place across different provinces of the Kurdistan Region, with government and political parties’ offices being set on fire.

The protests began in the Sulaimani and Halabja provinces, where thousands of people poured into the streets and called for salary delays and public services issues to be addressed, as well as for the implementation of reforms within the government.

Protestors took to the streets in Sulaimani, Halabja, Rania, Chamchamal, Seyid Sadiq, Piramagroon, Qaladize, Taq Taq, Kalar, and Rawanduz, where riots erupted, and government and political party offices were targeted.

“We would not stand idly by if any citizen were attacked,” Abadi said during his weekly press briefing.

On Tuesday, five people were killed and 80 more were wounded in clashes between protestors and security forces.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) released a statement urging people to refrain from using any means of violence while demonstrating.

“The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) views demonstration as a natural right of the people and have always defended this right, and will continue to do so. We are, however, troubled by the uncivilized and violent actions that took place in some towns in Sulaimani, which targeted government and political party offices, resulting in human injuries and damages to private properties,” the KRG said in a statement on Monday.

The KRG affirmed that the right to peaceful demonstrations is a fundamental right but that using them to incite violence, riots, and instability as the Kurdistan Region is already experiencing hard times would “only benefit those who are hostile to Kurdistan.”

Amin Bakir, a Kurdish member of the Iraqi Parliament representing the Gorran (Change) party, warned that Baghdad would only send forces to Sulaimani with the aim to occupy the province rather than to settle the situation.

“For now, we don’t know whether the Federal Government of Iraq would deploy troops to Sulaimani or not following the protests. If local security forces, however, are unable to take control of the situation, Abadi would be able to deploy forces to the area,” Bakir told BasNews on Wednesday.

“We hope it won’t end with Iraq forces mobilizing on Sulaimani because we fear, and we suspect, that the deployed troops’ main objective would be to seize Sulaimani – not manage the situation,” he warned.

The Kurdish lawmaker insisted the Kurdistan Region resolve their internal issues and prevent providing Baghdad with any justification for Iraqi forces to be sent to the region.

“Abadi wants to send Iraqi forces to the entire Kurdistan Region, not only Sulaimani,” Bakir asserted, calling for Kurdish parties not to offer any excuses to Baghdad.

Ties between the KRG and the federal government have considerably deteriorated following the Sep. 25 referendum on independence for the Kurdistan Region which saw an overwhelming majority vote for secession.

Since the historic vote, the Iraqi government has imposed strict punitive measures on Kurdistan and its people.

The list includes the banning of international flights to and from both the Erbil and Sulaimani airports, as well as a military operation on Oct. 16 to take over the oil-rich Kirkuk Province and other disputed territories which had been under the protection of Kurdish Peshmerga over the past few years.

Editing by Nadia Riva