Iraqi lawmaker says terrorist PKK's presence in Kirkuk is threat to Turkmens

By Ali Makram Ghareeb

KIRKUK, Iraq (AA) – The presence of the PKK terrorist organization in Iraq’s northern Kirkuk province poses a "serious threat" to Turkmens, an Iraqi lawmaker said Thursday.

Arshad al-Salihi, a member of the Iraqi parliament and the head of the Iraqi Turkmen Front, a political movement representing the Iraqi Turkmen people, told Anadolu Agency that the terrorist organization, which started to appear in northern Kirkuk and is increasing its presence day by day, is now posing a serious threat to the security of the Turkmen population.

Noting that the PKK is active between the Kirkuk and Sulaymaniyah regions, he said the PJAK -- an Iranian terrorist group affiliated with the PKK -- is active between Kirkuk and Erbil.

He urged the newly established government to intervene against the existence of these terrorist groups.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group by reclaiming all territories the terrorist group controlled since the summer of 2014, estimated to be about one-third of the country’s territory. But the PKK terrorist group remains active in the region.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar