PKK-Turkey conflict cannot be solved in the Kurdistan Region: Duhok Governor
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Duhok Governor Ali Tatar on Thursday said that the problems between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Turkey cannot be solved in the Kurdistan Region and they should take their problems from where they came from.
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His statement to Kurdistan24 comes amidst increased fighting between the Turkish army and PKK fighters near Amedi, in which several Turkish soldiers and PKK fighters were killed.
The governor also called on the Turkish government and the PKK not to turn the homes of Kurdish civilians in the Kurdistan Region. "This war is not our war,” he underlined, adding that civilians should become victims of the conflict.
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Previously, in 2022, Governor Tatar underlined that the PKK brought the war “to our own home by occupying and destroying our villages for the past thirty years."
Furthermore, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s Ministry of Interior on Wednesday accused the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) of attacking a Zerevani position in Amedi with rockets.
“Zeravani Peshmerga forces defended themselves from their positions,” the Ministry said. “The PKK gunmen's actions align with a pattern of attacks and destabilising activities, seeking to undermine the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region.”
“Unfortunately, they have become integral to regional plans challenging the sovereignty of Kurdistan.”
“Kurdistan Region will not be an arena for resolving regional conflicts and supports all peaceful efforts and initiatives to resolve issues and consolidate peace and security. However, we reserve the right to defend our forces and will resolutely oppose any attempt to target the Kurdistan Region and its official institutions.”
Moreover, the Zeravani Peshmerga command on Monday also rejected a letter that was circulated on social media, that suggested Zerevani forces were ordered to confront PKK fighters. “We hereby declare that these are entirely fabricated reports, and we categorically reject the content of these false news.”
“As the Zeravani Peshmerga Command, we believe that the spread of such fabricated news is a continuation of the deceptive tactics employed by certain parties following the recent missile attack on Erbil.”
Turkey has launched several large-scale ground operations against the PKK in the Kurdistan Region’s mountainous areas since 2021.
Tens of thousands have been killed from both sides in an armed conflict since the mid-1980s, including civilians.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by the United States, Turkey, and the EU, among other countries. So far, efforts by sympathizers to the group to delist it have failed.