Masoud Barzani: Kurdish blood should not be shed by fellow Kurds
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The bombardment of the Kurdistan Region’s borders by neighboring states should end without resulting in Kurdish infighting, Masoud Barzani, the President of the leading Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), said on Monday.
Barzani’s comment came during a visit to the Balakayati area in Erbil province to congratulate the people on the occasion of Eid al-Adha and commend their historic role in the Kurdish revolution against the former Iraqi regime.
The KDP leader, who previously served as president of the autonomous Kurdistan Region, currently holds no official or governmental posts but continues to play a vital role in the political situation in the Kurdistan and Iraq.
He expressed his concerns about the bombardments of the Kurdistan Region’s borders by neighboring Iran and Turkey.
“If excuses are not given to them here [within our borders], there won’t be bombardments or airstrikes [by Turkey and Iran],” Barzani said in a speech to locals in Balakayati, referring to the presence of Kurdish fighter groups on the borders who oppose the two neighboring governments of Ankara and Tehran.
“Therefore, this situation should be resolved in a way that people in this area no longer pay the price for the conflict,” he continued.
“We’re working on it. A solution should ensure Kurdish blood is not shed by the hands of fellow Kurds. But the situation of the [Kurdistan] Region should be considered. The Kurdistan Region is the only place that has become a hope for its people [Kurds]. If this hope ends, everything will end.”
Kurds have gone through intense civil wars from the early 90s until late 1997 with thousands of people killed.
Since then, Barzani has repeatedly promised on different occasions that he would not let civil wars take place between the Kurds once again as long as he lives.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) maintains a friendly relationship with Iran and Turkey, who regularly bombard the autonomous Kurdish region’s borders targeting Kurdish opposition groups present in the area.
The KRG has repeatedly called on the two countries and the Kurdish opposition groups to stop their fight or take the battle elsewhere because local villagers continue to fall victim to these conflicts.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany