Leader of Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government visits southern Türkiye

By Cebrail Caymaz

GAZIANTEP, Türkiye (AA) – The head of Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), Nechirvan Barzani, on Tuesday visited Gaziantep, one of the 10 southern provinces of Türkiye’s devastated by last week’s powerful twin earthquakes.

Barzani went to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) coordination center, where a KRG team is helping with search and rescue efforts in the Islahiye district.

Barzani told reporters: "We feel your pain. Your bad days are our bad days. The Turkish government and people have always supported us in times of need. So we are here to share your pain and convey our feelings of adherence."

"Türkiye will leave these painful days behind with its strong government," he asserted.

On Feb. 6, two massive earthquakes struck southern Türkiye.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors were centered in Kahramanmaras and hit nine other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

They also hit several countries and caused widespread destruction in northern Syria.

More than 35,400 people were killed and more than 81,000 others injured in Türkiye, according to the latest official figures, while the death toll topped 3,600 in Syria.

*Written by Zehra Nur Duz