PKK Escalates Terrorist Acts in Iraqi Kurdistan, Defying Baghdad-Erbil Agreement

Strategic Insights -

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has intensified its terrorist activities in the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), prompting concerns about the region's stability. The group, dissatisfied with the Baghdad-Erbil agreement of October 9, 2020, aims to spread instability from the occupied regions to the north of Iraq through terrorist acts and divert attention from its presence in Sinjar.

Key Takeaways:

  • The PKK's recent attack on Peshmerga forces in the Derkar district, northwest of Dohuk, resulted in the death of a Peshmerga member, who was shot by a PKK sniper.
  • On Monday, the PKK set up an ambush in the Hanesur region near the Sinjar district of Mosul, Iraq, and kidnapped two Peshmerga.
  • Five Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers were killed on Saturday in an attack by the PKK terror group in Iraq's northern Dohuk province, in an ambush set by PKK terrorists in the Amadiya district.
  • The PKK also targeted KRG police officers, killing Gazi Salih Ilhan, the public security head at the Serzer border gate, and injuring two officers responsible for security in the Chamanke district.
  • The PKK kidnapped civilians, including two people in the Verte sub-district of Erbil's Revanduz district, and a civilian in Erbil injured in an explosion of a TNT placed on a road by the PKK.
  • The terrorist organization targeted diplomatic missions in the region, planning to attack a foreign diplomatic mission in Erbil and assassinate its members, with at least 12 suspects caught in October 2020.
  • The PKK occupies 800 villages in the region, denying farmers access to their land and expelling them from their villages, as stated by KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on February 27.
  • The organization aims to turn Sinjar into a "second Qandil," its stronghold in northern Iraq, and has been criticized for preventing Ezidis from returning to their homes due to its presence in the region.

Statistics:

  • Over 35 years, the PKK has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants, in its terror campaign against Turkey.
  • The US, Turkey, and EU have listed the PKK as a terrorist organization.
  • The region sees a significant number of terrorist acts, including ambushes, kidnappings, and attacks on police officers and diplomatic missions.
  • The Baghdad-Erbil agreement of October 9, 2020, aimed to end the PKK's presence in Sinjar but has not been implemented, leading to further instability in the region.

Sources:

  • Eurasia Diary, citing Yeni Safak
  • KRG Security Agency, October 26, 2020
  • KRG Deputy Minister of Peshmerga Affairs, Serbest Lezgin
  • KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, February 27, 2021
  • Peshmerga forces, Derkar district, northwest of Dohuk, statement by Adib Jafar