The relationship between Iraqi Kurdistan’s ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Turkish government is purely transactional, based on motives of greed, said Cemil Bayık, co-chair of the Executive Council of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) on Saturday.
During an interview with Iraqi Kurdistan-based media outlet SharPress, Bayık alleged that the KDP is providing various forms of support to the Turkish military in its operations in northern Iraq, including intelligence on the whereabouts of Kurdish guerrillas and logistical assistance.
“The KDP is using the flag of South Kurdistan to conceal the Turkish state occupation”, Bayık said and stressed how important it was for the Kurdish people to understand the nature of the relationship between the KDP and Turkey.
The KDP faces accusations of providing tangible support for Turkey’s cross-border operations against the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region. Bayık’s remarks come in the wake of recently escalating tensions between the KDP’s peshmerga forces and PKK fighters. It was reported that the KDP deployed armoured vehicles to regions in the Soran district of Iraqi Kurdistan on 13 September.
Bayık said that military activity in the region has intensified following the visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Erbil (Hewler) on 24 August.
“If the KDP continues this partnership with the Turkish state, a war will be inevitable, though we are not in favour of it,” Bayık warned.
The KCK executive further argued that the recent deadly attack on Arbat airport by a drone launched from Turkey was intended to intimidate the people of Sulaymaniyah and the Soran district, who, he said, have not abandoned their patriotic stance and will continue to resist the threats against them.
Bayık likened this to the situation in Badinan region, where, he said, Turkish influence has become prevalent with KDP support, and the region has become a centre for Turkish military and intelligence activities. Bayık asserted that the Turkey seeks to control Sulaymaniyah and Soran in a similar manner by instilling fear among the local population.