Sheikh Jafar Mustafa, Kurdistan Vice-President Warns PKK against Dragging Peshmerga into War

Kurdistan Region Vice-President Sheikh Jafar Mustafa has warned the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) against any move to drag the Peshmerga forces into an undesired war.

Following a significant escalation of tensions between the PKK and Turkey in the recent weeks, the former attacked the Peshmerga forces twice and killed at least six while seven others were injured.

Vice-President Mustafa said in a statement on Friday that the developments in the region “signal a plan by the enemies of the people of Kurdistan.”

“If this is a matter of defending themselves, why the PKK drags the Peshmerga forces into a war that is not desired by the Kurdish people and Peshmerga?” the official wrote in his statement.

“The PKK have focused their activities inside the Kurdistan Region which is built by sacrifices of thousand of people. They give Turkey the excuse to attack them.”

Mustafa made it clear that the Kurdistan Region is against any foreign force that violates its sovereignty, and it respects all the political parties that have been taking shelter on its territories, however, the Kurdistan Region is against any move that could undermine its security and stability.

The Kurdish official, who has long served as a senior Peshmerga commander, emphasized that the Kurds should foster unity and foil external plans which are designed to provoke an internal war between the Kurdish forces.