Iraqi presidency denounces attack on Kurdish troops; calls PKK presence in Iraq, Kurdistan 'illegal'

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region is “illegal,” said the office of Iraqi President Barham Salih in a statement condemning the group’s deadly attack on Peshmerga forces a day earlier.

On Saturday, a convoy of Peshmerga forces heading toward villages along the Turkish border came under attack by the PKK, resulting in the death of five fighters and wounding seven more.

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 “The presence of PKK militants in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region is illegal and there should be an end to these violations which have endangered civilians and Iraq’s security,” wrote the office of President Salih, an ethnic Kurd.

The PKK, headquartered in the Kurdistan Region's Qandil Mountains, has been fighting a decades-long conflict against Ankara over Kurdish rights in Turkey that has led to tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. Rural residents and the local environment continue to suffer from ongoing clashes, including multiple civilian fatalities and other casualties. 

Although the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has repeatedly asked the PKK and the Turkish government to take their fight elsewhere, tensions between the KRG and the PKK have reached new and concerning levels in recent months.

Sunday's presidential statement also called for the withdrawal of the Turkish military from within Iraq's borders.

Earlier in the day, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and the United States government also condemned the attack in no uncertain terms.

Editing by John J. Catherine