The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was not involved in market fires in Erbil, Dohuk, and Kirkuk, the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) said in a press statement, responding to “slanderous” and “manipulative” claims made by the Iraqi Interior Ministry and Erbil’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
Furthermore, the union held the Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MİT) and Parastin, the KDP’s local intelligence service, responsible for the arson attacks, pointing to ongoing collaboration between the KDP and the Turkish state.
Criticising the silent and unresponsive stance of the Iraqi federal government, the KCK urged the Ministry of Interior to address MİT’s actions, refute false allegations against the Kurdish movement, and identify the real perpetrators.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), KDP’s main rival, dismissed the accusations as attempts to influence the election process in the Kurdistan region of Iraq (KRI).
PUK spokesperson Saadi Ahmed Pire said, “Currently, following all these events, we are preparing for the election campaign, not for a civil war.”
The PUK-affiliated 70th Forces, who had two members among the suspects, also responded to the accusations, “We urge the Iraqi security forces to conduct thorough investigations into this matter to uncover the full scope of the issue and the conspiracy involved. This will ensure that those responsible for setting fire to the markets are brought to justice.”
While the Turkish military, in cooperation with KDP forces, has entered Iraqi Kurdistan, media outlets aligned with the KDP have conspicuously avoided acknowledging the Turkish force’s presence.
However, Ehsan Chalabi, mayor of Sidekan, north of Erbil, made a definitive statement on 2 July during an interview with Channel 8, stating that Turkey has entered the Sidekan region, with a 50 km-long and 30 km-deep presence, and has established a military base. Chalabi reiterated that the Turkish military is actively operating in the area and affirmed no PKK forces are stationed in the Sidkan region.
In recent years, the KCK has persistently called upon Kurdistan Region authorities and the Kurdish people to stand against the Turkish army’s occupation. Despite this, the close relationship between KDP officials and the Turkish state has facilitated the Turkish military’s occupation of areas in Iraqi Kurdistan, citing the presence of PKK forces as justification.
