Kurdish organisations gathered in Diyarbakır (Amed) on Saturday to denounce Turkey’s ongoing military operations in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), accusing the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of colluding with Turkish forces. Led by the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) and joined by various civil society groups including the Free Women’s Movement (Tevgera Jinan Azad-TJA) and Peace Mothers, the event aimed to protest against what they termed as Turkey’s “aggressive occupation” of Kurdish territories.
DBP Co-Chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar condemned the KDP’s role, likening it to that of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey. “The participation of KDP peshmergas and ISIS militants in the Turkish attacks shows that the KDP is complicit in the killing of Kurds,” Uçar stated at the gathering. The meeting highlighted widespread dissatisfaction among Kurds towards the KDP’s collaboration with Turkey, accusing it of betraying Kurdish interests for its own gain.
The event underscored a unified call for peace and resistance against what they described as an occupation targeting Kurdish freedom and existence. Speakers at the gathering criticised the historical collaboration between the KDP and Turkish authorities, citing the establishment of numerous Turkish military bases in the region as evidence of this collaboration.
Turkey’s military operations, known as Operation Claw-Lock, have intensified since April 2022, allegedly aimed at rooting out the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) presence in northern Iraq. Analysts, on the other hand, have voiced concerns that Turkey’s actions are strategically aimed at influencing the upcoming elections in Iraqi Kurdistan, scheduled for 20 October. This move, they argue, seeks to shape political outcomes favourable to Turkish interests, potentially altering the region’s governance dynamics which currently favour the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the KDP’s rival faction.
The meeting in Diyarbakır highlighted growing discontent and resistance within the Kurdish community against Turkish military actions, with calls for international intervention to halt what they perceive as violations of Kurdish sovereignty. The protests also brought attention to the humanitarian toll of Turkey’s operations, including displacement and environmental devastation in the region.
The gathering concluded with a renewed call for unity among Kurdish factions against what they termed as external aggression and collaboration detrimental to Kurdish interests. The Kurdish groups reiterated their commitment to peaceful resistance and urged global support in their struggle for autonomy and justice in Kurdistan.
