The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Thursday condemned the multiple attacks staged by forces of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Duhok province, saying they crossed a “red line” and warranted retaliation.
Seeking to de-escalate the situation, the PKK called on the KRG to seek dialogue to contain flaring tensions and prevent inner fighting.
In the last few days, PKK guerillas launched three separate attacks that hit Peshmerga forces and oil and gas police stationed in Dohuk’s Chamanke district. A Peshmerga fighter was killed and eight others were injured.
The KRG, in a statement, said the assaults constitute a dangerous and unjustifiable precedent that target the life and security of the Kurdistan region and its people.
“Any attack of this kind is an attack on all our people and our legitimate institutions,” the KRG statement read, adding that “the attack of the PKK organization today crossed all red lines.”
“Peshmerga forces are responsible for protecting KRG territory and people, and any attack against them is an attack against the people,” the statement added.
The statement went on to stress that the KRG will work to prevent any deterioration in the security situation in the region.
On Monday, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani warned against the fallout of the conflict raging between the PKK and Turkey near borders.
Although Barzani prohibited Kurds fighting against each other, he called for preventing the PKK from imposing its will on the region.
The Kurdish leader also urged the PKK to abandon its hold of border areas.
“Fighting is not in anyone's interest and what happened in Chamanke aimed to prevent Peshmerga forces from advancing closer to our camps,” Hiwa Zagros, the spokesperson for the Relations Committee of Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), the armed wing of the PKK, told the press.
In a written statement Thursday, Baghdad strongly condemned the PKK attacks.
"The Iraqi government affirmed its strong rejection of the attack that took place inside Iraqi territory and considered it an assault on the country's sovereignty," according to a statement by the Office of Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi.
The Baghdad government vowed to take measures “to put an end to the attacks that are a violation of the security and sovereignty of the country.”
