KDP: Kurdistan Region ‘not a party’ to regional war

ERBIL — The Kurdistan Democratic Party called Thursday for urgent efforts to shield the Kurdistan Region from the ongoing war between the United States, Israel and Iran, urging political actors to safeguard stability and prevent armed groups from launching attacks from or against the region.

In a statement marking the 35th anniversary of the March 5, 1991 Kurdish uprising, the KDP said “the broader region is passing through a sensitive and fateful stage. A war is underway in which the Kurdistan Region is not a party, yet the situation has become more precarious.” It called it “an urgent duty for all sides to work for the stability of the Region, the protection of our achievements, and support for the Region’s institutions and government, in order to safeguard the security, lives, and livelihoods of our citizens.”

The statement stressed the need to ensure that “Iraq in general, and the Kurdistan Region in particular, remain distant from war and its consequences,” and called for blocking “militias and armed, unlawful groups that launch attacks on the Kurdistan Region.” It said the Iraqi federal government must “in accordance with its constitutional and legal obligations, take a clear stance toward these violations,” which it said have escalated amid the ongoing war.

The KDP added that the Kurdistan Region “has not been — and must not become — a platform for causing concern to our neighbors,” while expressing the expectation of reciprocal respect for the region’s rights. The party also reaffirmed “the legitimate rights and just demands of our people and citizens,” and called on the public to support security agencies and relevant institutions under the current circumstances.

Earlier Wednesday, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani received a phone call from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, during which both sides discussed “the latest regional developments and their implications” and emphasized “maintaining calm and stability” and “the protection of border security.” Barzani said the Kurdistan Region “will not be part of conflicts” and will continue to act as a “factor for stability.”

Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, a senior PUK figure, chaired a meeting with the Sulaymaniyah governorate security committee to discuss measures aimed at protecting public safety amid rising regional tensions. “Although the Kurdistan Region is not a party to this war and fully maintains its neutrality, we have now entered an abnormal situation and the repercussions of the war have reached the Kurdistan Region beyond our will and intention,” he said.

Several Iranian Kurdish opposition parties, now organized under the Alliance of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan, are based in the Kurdistan Region and have long opposed Tehran’s rule. The alliance was formed in preparation for potential changes in Iran. Their bases have been repeatedly struck in recent days. On Tuesday, three drones and a missile hit Camp Azadi and a PDKI weapons storage facility in Koya. On Wednesday, a missile strike on a Kurdistan Freedom Party base in Degala killed one fighter and wounded three others.

Erbil has now been targeted by more than 100 missiles and drones since the war began.

Reuters reported that U.S. officials have held talks with Iranian Kurdish leaders, while CNN reported the CIA is examining a plan that could involve arming those groups — a prospect that would place the Kurdistan Region even more squarely in the conflict. Both outlets said no final decisions have been announced.