The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) has released a statement on Tuesday, shedding light on the recent surge of Turkish military activities in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The group directly implicated the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), stating that its relationship with Turkey is tantamount to betrayal and is the underlying cause of the ongoing attacks. The KCK also warned that Turkey aims to annex Iraqi Kurdistan, with the KDP seemingly willing to cede control of strategic locations like Kirkuk in return for oil revenue.
The KCK further criticised the broader Kurdish community for its inaction and silence on this betrayal, cautioning that this complacency only deepens the crisis. “[T]he development of a strong objection and reaction by the people against the betrayal has also been prevented,” the KCK stated.
KNK’s co-president, Ahmet Karamus, also pointed a finger at the KDP on Monday for its role in a deadly attack on a KNK office in Erbil, stating that the security authorities of the city were complicit. Meanwhile, Bafel Jalal Talabani, President of the PUK, has called for a unified response to the drone strike in Sulaymaniyah that resulted in three fatalities among the PUK’s anti-terror unit.
The KCK’s allegations add another dimension to a two-year pattern of Turkish hostilities aimed at Kurdish dissidents in Iraqi Kurdistan. These actions have escalated following a recent visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to the Kurdistan Regional Government, intensifying scrutiny on the KDP’s role in these attacks.