Kurdistan officials concerned about PKK, Iran and energy sector
High-ranking officials from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have voiced concerns over the lack of effective collaboration from Baghdad and risks to security from the presence of the PKK.
ERBIL, Iraq — As clashes between state and non-state armed groups continue in disputed territories of Iraq, high-ranking officials in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) lament a continuing lack of attention in Baghdad to their concerns.
Multiple clashes have occurred in recent months in the Sinjar area currently under the Iraqi government between the Iraqi army and local groups allied with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), heightening risks to stability in northern Iraq and the KRI.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has attacked Erbil and the surrounding area multiple times, including with a barrage of ballistic missiles on March 13.
Against this backdrop and continuing disagreements between Baghdad and Erbil over oil and gas and budgetary issues, the KRG invited six journalists including this Al-Monitor correspondent to meet with high-ranking officials on May 9 for a roundtable discussion at the Council of Ministers in Erbil, capital of the KRI.
