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Analysing recent developments in Iraqi Kurdistan in the context of the Iraqi elections that are due to take place on 10 October, Kurdish journalist Necmettin Salaz said the election alliance between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Turkmen Front was not just a matter of short term tactics, but the two parties were actually brought together by Turkey as part of a broader plan.
Speaking to Mesopotamia News Agency, Salaz indicated that while the KDP actually needed such an alliance in order not to see a reduction in the number of seats it secured in the Iraqi Parliament, the alliance was still essentially due to Turkey’s strategy of uniting the powers of the two parties.
He drew attention to the policies of Turkey in recent years of supporting both the KDP and the Turkmen Front militarily as it was simultaneously engaged in constant incursions into Iraqi Kurdistan.
He emphasized that a Turkmen force directly attached to Turkey was formed with the assistance of both the Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) and the private military contractor SADAT.
“There is an organisation called SADAT in Turkey. This is an organisation of Erdoğan’s. They are operating especially in Kirkuk, alongside the National Intelligence agency. The Turkmens have a large presence, especially in Kirkuk,” he said.
“Now, there are flights between Istanbul and Kirkuk. Many agents of the Turkish National Intelligence agency and teams of SADAT arrive on these flights. They’re preparing the Turkmens for a war. (…) Recently, the attitude of the Turkmens started to change. An armed force comprising a certain number of people who get paid by Turkey emerged, with the training provided by SADAT.”
Salaz added that, eventually, the Turkmens have started to side with the KDP. Noting that in Pirdê, a town between Hewler and Kirkuk, the Turkmens were in control of the check points, Salaz stated that they have started setting up check points in places around areas under KDP dominance.
“Turkey works both with the KDP and the Turkmens,” he emphasized. “They took steps to unite the two powers. They brought the two together to act in unison in the face of new developments. The elections are just a cover. The Turkmens and the KDP have essentially and politically formed an alliance. It shouldn’t be surprising if we see Turkmens taking part in attacks against the Kurdish freedom movement in the coming days.”
