PM Barzani calls on religious leaders to aid in combating terror ideology

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani emphasized the importance of combating terrorists militarily and ideologically while addressing a gathering of religious leaders on Tuesday.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani emphasized the importance of combating terrorists militarily and ideologically while addressing a gathering of religious leaders on Tuesday.

The address came during the Sixth Convention of the Union of Islamic Scholars of Kurdistan (UISK) in Erbil to discuss religious matters, a day after three young gunmen between the ages of 16 and 18 attacked Erbil’s governorate office.

The four-hour siege ended in the early afternoon after security forces completed the storming of the building. The suspects killed one employee and injured another five.

Friends and family members of the young men told Kurdistan 24 on Tuesday that all three had become radicalized in recent months and had spent most of their time at local mosques.

“The Kurdistan Region has played a significant role militarily in combating terror, and this stand must be as firm in the realm of ideology and should be developed further,” Barzani stated.

Members of USIK “have always been outspoken critics of those who use religion as a means to attack the Kurdish people and their struggle,” he added.

Barzani called on the religious leaders to play their part in rooting out the ideas that fuel terrorist propaganda.

Although uncertain, in an exclusive interview with Kurdistan 24 on Monday, the Director of Erbil Security, Tariq Nouri, claimed the perpetrators of the attack on the Erbil Governorate building have ties to the Islamic State (IS).

The Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces have led efforts in the fight against IS since the group’s emergence in 2014.

Despite the Iraqi government’s declaration of victory over the extremists, they continue to carry out insurgency-style attacks, especially in the disputed areas.

In recent efforts to clear sleeper-cell hideouts, in a coordinated operation, the US-led coalition against IS launched aerial bombardments on targets in Makhmour and afterward, joint Iraqi security forces and Peshmerga troops carried out a multi-pronged attack on the remnant terrorists.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany