SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) President Bafel Talabani strongly condemned the drone attack on Sulaimani International Airport and denounced traitors’ futile attempts to disrupt Kurdistan’s security.
“We strongly deplore the attack on Sulaymaniyah International Airport and the failed attempts of foreign servants aimed at disrupting the security of the Sulaymaniyah governorate,” Talabani said in a statement.
The leader also stated that “criminal acts and trespassing on the border of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, guided by a local security intelligence agency, are not uncommon and we have a long history with them.”
“Sulaymaniyah and its history, Sulaymaniyah, and its people are much superior and more heroic than the empty imagination of one party to stain its reputation and ruin the lives of its people,” he added.
The leader further said “The PUK has been patient in the past in order to maintain unity and achieve the highest interests of our people, but the continued inappropriate behaviors of some security agencies of a political party under the shadow of an individualistic and self-imposed government have crossed all boundaries.”
“We are proud to be Kurds and of our Kurdishness. We have Kurdistan in our hearts and we have faced and we will face all dangers for the sake of the lives of our people. Disrupting the peace of the region and Sulaymaniyah is a red line,” Talabani stressed, according to the statement.
“We will say it again and louder, either Kurdistan or nothing.”
A suspected Turkish drone strike targeted the periphery of Sulaimani International Airport yesterday but resulted in no casualties except for causing a fire which was immediately tackled by the local authorities.
Sulaimani Security Forces (Asayish) announced in a statement that it had initiated investigations and set to address the public about the probes’ results.
The attack also coincided with Turkey’s airspace embargo on Sulalimani over the alleged intensification of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) activities in the governorate.
Ankara’s embargo is based on allegations that the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the dominant party in Sulaimani province, supports the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the province, allowing it to operate freely.
The PKK is a Kurdish group fighting for broader rights in Turkey which Ankara, the United States, and the European Union have designated a “terrorist” organization.
