PKK presence in Kurdistan illegitimate: Peshmerga leader
A high-ranking commander of the Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces has described as illegitimate the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters in Kurdistan region.
According to reports on Sunday, Zaim Ali, Peshmerga commander in western Kurdistan, called on the PKK to withdraw its fighters from the semi-autonomous region near the border with Turkey, saying, “The PKK’s presence in the region is not legitimate.”
Ali also blamed the Kurdish group for the recent outbreak of violence in the region, stressing that civilians are paying the price of hostility between the PKK and the Turkish government.
"Civilians have become the victims … This is the PKK’s fault - not Turkey’s,” he added.
The remarks came a week after Masoud Barzani, the president of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), urged the PKK militants to leave their headquarters in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq, citing fear of civilian casualties.
Over the past two weeks, Ankara has launched deadly airstrikes against PKK positions, killing at least 390 militants. More than 1,300 suspects have also been detained by Turkish security forces for their alleged cooperation with the PKK.
The airstrikes provoked PKK militants to stage retaliatory attacks against Turkish forces, effectively ending a two-year ceasefire between the two sides.
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