Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party
Masoud Barzani on drone strikes: condemnations and committees not enough
ERBIL — Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani issued a forceful statement Saturday following a drone attack on Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani’s residence in Duhok, saying attacks on the Kurdistan Region have now exceeded 450 since the war began and that Iraqi authorities must either act decisively or admit they are incapable of stopping the groups responsible.
“The Kurdistan Region has never been part of the disputes, tensions and wars in the region, but unfortunately there are those who, without anyone stopping them, focus primarily on how to oppose the Kurdistan Region and always unjustly attack the region and the Peshmerga,” Barzani said.
He revealed that their headquarters had been attacked five times but that they had stayed silent on previous incidents “so as not to create anxiety and anger among the public.”
He said the attack on Nechirvan Barzani’s residence crossed a line. “This is not a matter of one person’s home or headquarters — every part of Kurdistan and every Kurdish home is holds value for us.”
“In truth, these matters cannot be resolved through condemnations, phone calls, statements and committees,” he said, directly challenging the approach Baghdad has taken. He said Iraqi authorities “must either resolve this themselves or acknowledge that they are incapable of stopping these outlaw groups, or they must seriously step up, defend the state and take decisive measures so that unjust attacks on the Kurdistan Region are no longer permitted.”
It comes after Iran’s IRGC and allied militias have carried out more than 450 attacks on the Kurdistan Region since the war began Feb. 28 — a figure higher than the 300-plus previously cited by monitoring groups — killing and wounding civilians and Peshmerga fighters alike.
Iranian ballistic missiles killed six Peshmerga fighters and wounded about 30 near Soran last week.
“The people of Kurdistan, with an ironclad resolve, defend their message of peace and their just cause, and no threat, attack or enemy has been or will be able to break that will,” Barzani said.