Accusing Turkey of escalating ‘genocidal’ actions in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) with support from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the federal Iraqi government, the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) has issued a strong condemnation, urging Kurdish unity and resistance against what it describes as a coordinated effort to undermine Kurdish sovereignty.
The KCK’s statement alleges that the Turkish state’s actions, supported by the KDP and now the Iraqi government, aim to implement a genocide against the Kurdish people. The KCK claims agreements were made between the Turkish and Iraqi governments during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Iraq in April, resulting in Iraq’s support for Turkish occupation policies.
“The Iraqi government did not take a strong stance against the impositions of the Turkish state and was included in the occupation and genocide policies with the agreements it made,” the KCK said. The statement further criticises these agreements, asserting they are not in Iraq’s national interest, and calls for Iraqi intellectuals and democratic forces to oppose them.
The KCK condemned the KDP for its collaboration with Turkey, accusing it of betraying Kurdish national interests for personal and narrow power gains. “The KDP has proven that it is a party to the Kurdish genocide by openly supporting the invasion attacks of the Turkish state,” the statement read.
The KCK praised the resistance of Kurdish fighters against Turkish occupation and urged all Kurdish people and their supporters to “to be sensitive to this dangerous situation and to develop a strong attitude against occupation, betrayal, and genocide.”
Ankara has asserted that its operations in the region target the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). However, observers view these actions as an attempt to influence the Kurdistan elections and bolster the KDP against the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which has shown reluctance to align with Turkey’s interests.
The KCK had previously issued a statement on Turkish President Erdoğan’s visit to Baghdad in April, claiming that the purpose of the visit was “to legitimise Turkey’s military presence and plan new attacks”.
