Kurdish problem in the north would not be solved if Turkey does not negotiate with the PKK, says Iraqi commander

A top Iraqi commander says Iraq army has no capability to fight with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerillas based along the Turkey-Iraq and Iran-Iraq border, northeast part of the country.

Speaking to Rudaw.net, Iraq’s Army Chief of Staff Babakir Zebary said that the Iraqi Army has no capability and readiness to fight the PKK.

“I believe any move against PKK without coordination with the Kurdistan region is going to fail,” he said.

Zebary also said that the Kurdish problem in the north would not be solved if Turkey does not negotiate with the PKK.

“One of the problems of Turkey is that it’s yet to realize that it should sit down with the PKK,” said Zebary. “It still views the group as a terrorist and has not granted a general amnesty for PKK members.”

Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay visited Federal Kurdistan Region last week and met with region’s president Massoud Barzani. Cooperation against the PKK said to be on the agenda of the meeting.

Babakir Zebary’s statement came right after this meeting raising the suspicions that Turkish side is demanding military support from South Kurdistan and Iraq.

Kurdish leaders in Iraq repeatedly asked Turkey to find a peaceful solution for the Kurdish issue in north for the past years.

ANF / NEWS DESK
ANF NEWS AGENCY