Politics

Security Committee denies PKK presence in Kirkuk

There are no other troops in Kirkuk except the province’s Peshmerga, security, and police forces, the Kirkuk Provincial Council (KPC) Security Committee stated on Tuesday.

Sangar Ali 2016/09/21 09:33

kurdistan Kurdistan Kirkuk PKK Iraq

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – There are no other troops in Kirkuk except the province’s Peshmerga, security, and police forces, the Kirkuk Provincial Council (KPC) Security Committee stated on Tuesday.

In a statement, the Security Committee of Kirkuk Province refuted allegations made by Arshad Salihi, the head of the Turkmen Front party in Kirkuk, regarding the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters in the province.

“We reassure there are no other forces in Kirkuk except Peshmerga, Asayish [security], and joint intelligence troops under the authority of the Kirkuk security led by Governor Najmaddin Karim,” the statement read.

The Committee mentioned there was no need for the deployment of any other forces, stating the security in Kirkuk had been able to stabilize and secure the province and protect residents from any threats.

It also noted the deployment of any troops in the area requires the approval of the Prime Minister of Iraq Haider al-Abadi.

“Whenever we need additional forces, we will send a request to [Abadi],” the Committee stated.

Additionally, the statement called on Salihi to avoid creating problems as well as baseless allegations in Kirkuk.

Speaking to reporters at a front line south of the city of Kirkuk on Monday, Kurdish General Westa Rasool refuted Salihi's claim the PKK was a danger to the ethnic Turkmen presence in the governorate.

Salihi, who is also a member of the Iraqi Parliament, said the PKK were a “terrorist organization” and was damaging Kurdish-Turkmen relations, during a press conference on Saturday.

“We regard the PKK as a native Kurdish party, and won’t allow anyone insult those who have fought shoulder to shoulder with the Peshmerga of Kurdistan against Da’esh,” the commander said in response to Salihi, using an Arabic pejorative for the Islamic State.

The PKK is designated a terrorist group by the United States, European Union, and Turkey against whom it has been waging a decades-long war for recognizing Kurdish rights.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany
(Ari Khalidi contributed to this report)