Patriotic Union of Kurdistan President Bafel Talabani
PUK’s Bafel Talabani urges unity in face of ‘great danger’
BAGHDAD — Patriotic Union of Kurdistan President Bafel Talabani issued a statement Sunday calling on residents of the Kurdistan Region to remain “strong, resolute, and united” as the region faces what he described as a “great danger.”
“Once again, we face a great danger. As always, I know you will remain strong, resolute, and united,” Talabani said in a message addressed to citizens of the region.
He said the PUK is in constant contact with all Iraqi and Kurdish parties, “especially the Kurdistan Democratic Party, to do our utmost to defend the Kurdistan Region, Iraq and its people from danger.”
The statement comes as the Kurdistan Region has been targeted by missile and drone strikes following coordinated U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. Projectiles targeting a base near Erbil International Airport and the U.S. Consulate in Erbil were intercepted Saturday, and debris from an intercepted projectile started a fire in a residential area in Erbil’s Minara neighborhood.
The Khor Mor gas field in Sulaymaniyah suspended operations to protect staff, cutting between 2,500 and 3,000 megawatts from the regional power grid.