SULAIMANI (ESTA) — An Iraqi armed force on Saturday deployed around the Makhmour refugee camp which Turkey claims is controlled by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Located 40 miles southwest of the Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil, Makhmour camp hosts more than 12,000 refugees who fled prosecution by the Turkish state.
Ankara has reportedly complained to Baghdad about PKK activities in the area as the camp resides on the disputed territories between Kurdistan and Baghdad.
PKK-affiliated news outlets reported that since early morning an Iraqi armed force surrounded the camp.
Ghazi Ghafour, a senior Paotiotc Union of Kurdistan (PUK) cadre who works at the Qarachough area of Makhmour cited building military outposts by the Iraqi force around the vicinity of the camp, he told Esta Media Network.
He also added that the situation has led to protests among the camp residents against the force’s deployment.
The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984 and more than 40,000 people have been killed in the ensuing conflict. The PKK is regarded as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.
