President Masoud Barzani holds townhall meeting with families of martyrs in Duhok
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – As part of his visit to Duhok province, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani on Monday met with the families of martyrs to closely follow up on the community’s complaints.
Recipients of the Barzani Medal, political prisoners, and combat-wounded veterans also attended the town hall meeting in Duhok, where the party leader has visited a number of districts in the past three days to meet with community leaders.
Barzani briefed the audience on the latest political developments in Iraq, including Kurdistan Region, a statement from his office, known as Barzani Headquarters, read on Monday.
The leader, who served as Kurdistan Region president for 12 years, highlighted the challenges and threats that the Kurdish people face, insisting on spreading national awareness and adhering to patriotic values.
While extending his appreciation for the sacrifices that the community has made for the Kurdistan Region, Barzani called on the audience to share with him any grievances and complaints they have, the statement added.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani last week visited the province and meet with local residents to discuss issues about public services. He later inaugurated Delal Corniche in Zakho in a bid to boost tourism in the border town.
One of the issues that the border areas of Duhok province are facing is the ongoing conflict between PKK and Turkish forces.
The province’s mountainous areas are continuously shelled and bombarded by Turkish forces that claim that they target suspected PKK positions in the area.
Hundreds of local residents have fled the conflict area, in which civilians had been killed and maimed as a result of the decades-old conflict.
Kurdistan Region Government (KRG) has previously said the conflict has hindered public service provision in the area.
Over 40,000 people on both sides have been killed since the Turkish-PKK conflict began in 1984.
Kurdistan Region officials regularly call on Baghdad, officially in charge of border security affairs, to prevent the insurgents and foreign militaries from engaging in hostilities within its territory. Officials have voiced concerns about increased militia forces presence in the area.
