Kurdistan Region–PKK Conflict
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The Kurdistan Region–PKK conflict refers to a series of clashes in
Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...
between the ruling
Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region (KRI) is a semi-autonomous Federal regions of Iraq, federal region of the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurds, Kurdish-majority governorates of Arabs, Arab-majority Iraq: Erbil Governorate, Sulaymaniyah Governorate ...
and the
Kurdistan Workers' Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurds, Kurdish militant political organization and armed ...
(PKK) and its allied groups. The conflict started in 1983. Simultaneously, the PKK waged a
guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...
insurgency An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare against a larger authority. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric warfare, asymmetric nature: small irregular forces ...
, while the
Peshmerga The Peshmerga () are the internal security forces of Kurdistan Region. According to the Constitution of Iraq, regional governments are responsible for "the establishment and organization of the internal security forces for the region such as p ...
waged a
counterinsurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN, or NATO spelling counter-insurgency) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the ac ...
.


History

When the PKK was founded in 1978, its actions were limited to Turkey. However, the 1980 coup caused the PKK to flee to Syria and Iraq, what is now the Kurdistan Region. Initially, the PKK was welcomed by the KDP. However, their relations worsened when the PKK began demanding governance in the
Kurdistan Regional Government The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is the official executive body of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. The cabinet is selected by the majority party or list who also select the prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdish poli ...
and more territorial control as it kept fighting Turkey and wanted more influence in the Kurdistan Region. In July 1983, the PKK and KDP had signed an accord agreeing upon unity to fight
imperialism Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of Power (international relations), power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power (military and economic power) and soft power (diplomatic power and cultura ...
, with
American imperialism U.S. imperialism or American imperialism is the expansion of political, economic, cultural, media, and military influence beyond the boundaries of the United States. Depending on the commentator, it may include imperialism through outright mi ...
being at the top of the list, as the United States supported
Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...
at the time, and was considered an enemy by
Kurdish nationalists Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...
. The relations of the PKK and KDP gradually worsened, and by 1988, they had fully cut ties, and the PKK shifted to the PUK. In 1989, the PUK warned Turkey that if it intervened in Iraqi Kurdistan again without permission, the PUK would overtly support the PKK. However, by 1990, Öcalan considered his relations with the PUK as "null and void". By 1988, the PUK had joined the KDP in creating the Iraqi Kurdistan Front (IKF). In 1991, the IKF declared war on the PKK.
Jalal Talabani Jalal Talabani (; ; 1933 – 3 October 2017) was an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the sixth president of Iraq from 2005 to 2014, as well as the president of the Governing Council of Iraq. Talabani was the founder and secretary-gene ...
began crediting Turkey with having saved the Kurds from Saddam Hussein, stating that "Turkey must be considered a country friendly to the Kurds", going as far as recommending that Turkey annex Iraqi Kurdistan.
Süleyman Demirel Sami Süleyman Gündoğdu Demirel (; 1 November 1924 – 17 June 2015) was a Turkish people, Turkish politician, engineer, and statesman who served as the List of Presidents of Turkey, 9th President of Turkey from 1993 to 2000. He previously serv ...
referred to him as "my dear brother Talabani". The alliance between the PUK and KDP did not last long, and the
Iraqi Kurdish Civil War The Iraqi Kurdish Civil War (, 'fratricidal war') was a civil war that took place between rival Kurdish factions in Iraqi Kurdistan during the mid-1990s, mostly between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party. O ...
erupted. Iran, Turkey, Iraq, and the United States were drawn into the fighting. On good terms with the PUK, the PKK began attacking the KDP. The PKK moved to the Qandil Mountains after the war. The worst fighting had started on October 13, 1997. Turkey backed the KDP, while Iran backed the PUK and PKK. Turkey even intervened on the side of the KDP and saw it as an opportunity to attack the PKK. Turkey also warned the PUK to stop cooperating with the PKK. On September 25, 1997, Turkish forces launched Operation Dawn. The operation resulted in heavy PKK and Turkish casualties, but Turkey again failed to expel the PKK. A cease-fire was negotiated between the PUK and KDP, after which the PUK began opposing the PKK. During the civil war, the KDP effectively pushed the PKK out of many areas in
Duhok Governorate Duhok Governorate (, , ) is a governorate in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Its capital is the city of Duhok. It includes Zakho, near the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing with Şırnak Province, Turkey. It borders the Al-Hasakah Gove ...
, and had "crushed in a few short months an organization that Turkey had been unable to in more than eleven years of warfare." Talabani, during the
Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
, gave the PKK another ultimatum to "disarm or leave Iraq". Abdullah Öcalan claimed that the KDP were merely "primitive nationalist forces", while the PKK were "revolutionary patriots". He regularly criticized the KDP for being "nationalist". Abdullah Öcalan claimed that the KDP had a role in forming the
village guard system Village guards ( lit. "Rangers"), officially known as ''Türkiye Güvenlik Köy Korucuları'' ("Security Village Guards of Turkey"), are Gendarmerie General Command-aligned border guards involved in the Kurdish-Turkish conflict. Background ...
. Öcalan claimed that Masoud Barzani was a traitor for having good ties with Turkey, while Barzani claimed that "it is high treason to aim weapons at the legitimate Kurdish administration", and doing so had "confirmed Öcalan is the enemy of the Kurds." Barzani also claimed that the KDP "had not asked for any Turkish assistance despite the Turkish government's offer. We are committed to safeguarding only our people's security and not that of others." However, he also stated that "we respect relations with all neighbors and we do not permit that their security be threatened from our territory." The
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
have both collaborated with the KRG against the PKK on many occasions.
Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...
, who had openly supported the PKK-allied
PJAK The Kurdistan Free Life Party, or PJAK (), is a Kurdish nationalist anti-Iranian armed militant group. It has waged an intermittent armed struggle since 2004 against the Iranian Government, seeking self-determination through some degree of au ...
in the past, had also allegedly supported the PKK too. In a speech, Saddam Hussein had indicated his sentiments by stating "curse the father of Turkey as much as the father of Iran." A spokesman for the Iraqi Foreign Ministry described the PKK as a "tragic legacy from the Saddam regime" A Duhok politician also accused the PKK of "continuing Saddam Hussein's policy". After Abdullah Öcalan's arrest, he expressed his anger with Masoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani, especially with Barzani, and he called on the PKK to overthrow the Kurdistan Regional Government and kill Barzani and Talabani, whom he referred to as "dogs" and stated "lets not let Barzani and Talabani breathe." In 2000, the PKK and PUK had a major battle. The PKK withdrew from the cities and was active only in rural areas doing ambushes. On 3 separate occasions on July 29, 2015, October 28, 2020, and January 18, 2022, the PKK attacked the Kirkuk–Ceyhan Oil Pipeline. In 2014, the Peshmerga abandoned a piece of land on the mountains of Zini Warte in Erbil. The PKK took that piece of land, and the Peshmerga was sent to the area in 2020. The KDP argued it only left the area to fight the Islamic State in the south, but the standoff was eventually resolved by the KDP withdrawing its forces.
Masoud Barzani Masoud Barzani (; born 16 August 1946) is a Kurdish politician who has been leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) since 1979, and was President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq from 2005 to 2017. Early life and career Barzani was bo ...
accused the PKK of taking advantage of the Peshmerga's conflict with ISIS in order to "invade" parts of the Kurdistan Region bordering Turkey, "instead of supporting the Kurdistan Region project." On June 5, 2021, the PKK ambushed 5 Peshmerga soldiers in Duhok, killing them. According to the KRG, the PKK had occupied 515 villages in the Kurdistan Region in 2015. Of these, 304 come under Duhok province, while 177 were in Erbil and 34 in Sulaymaniyah. In a statement on February 27, 2021, Masoud Barzani emphasized that the Kurdish authorities could not rebuild 800 villages because of the PKK, adding they would not tolerate the group's presence in the region. On May 20, 2014, the KDP arrested many PÇDK members during operations in
Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...
,
Duhok Duhok (; ; , ) is a city in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is the capital city of Duhok Governorate. Name The city of Duhok received its name from the Kurdish words ’du’ (two) and ’hok’ (lump) as a tax payment of two lumps from the baske ...
, and
Zakho Zakho, also spelled Zaxo (, , , , ) is a city in the Kurdistan Region, at the centre of the Zakho District of the Dohuk Governorate, located a few kilometers from the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing. Zakho is known for its celebrations of Newr ...
. A few days before the operation, the
Kurdistan Regional Government The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is the official executive body of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. The cabinet is selected by the majority party or list who also select the prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdish poli ...
banned the PÇDK after they protested in front of the
Kurdistan Region Parliament The Kurdistan Regional Parliament, also known as Kurdistan Parliament – Iraq (; ), or simply Perleman, is the parliament of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. It is made up of representatives from the various parties, lists or slates that are elec ...
to commemorate a massacre of PKK members by the KDP in Erbil in 1997, during the
Iraqi Kurdish Civil War The Iraqi Kurdish Civil War (, 'fratricidal war') was a civil war that took place between rival Kurdish factions in Iraqi Kurdistan during the mid-1990s, mostly between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party. O ...
. During the 2017 Sinjar clashes, the KDP-backed Peshmerga Roj clashed with the PKK-backed YBÅž. During the 2022 Sinjar clashes, the KRG and the PKK backed different sides. Adham Barzani criticised the KDP for its ties with Turkey, and opposed Turkish military presence in Iraqi Kurdistan. He stated that "whenever
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
has occupied a piece of territory, it has never withdrawn from it", and demanded
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
to keep its conflict with the PKK inside Turkish borders. Vian Dakhil, a Yazidi KDP politician, also advocated for the expulsion of the PKK from Sinjar, claiming that the presence of the PKK and its allied groups were the biggest problem for the Yazidi community. Haydar Shesho, the leader of the HPÊ, called on the PKK to withdraw from Yazidi communities, while also calling on Turkey to respect the territorial integrity of Iraq. Haydar Shesho also claimed that the PKK was complicit in the
Yazidi genocide The Yazidi genocide was perpetrated by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2017. It was characterized by massacres, genocidal rape, and forced conversions to Islam. The Yazidis are a Kurdish-speaking people who are indigenous ...
but also took credit for having saved the Yazidis. He claimed that the PKK served Turkish interests and was used by Turkey as an excuse to attack civilians. He also accused the PKK of harshly persecuting Syrian Kurds and ruling with
authoritarianism Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and ...
in the
Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), also known as Rojava, is a ''de facto'' Autonomous administrative division, autonomous region in northeastern Syria. It consists of self-governing Regions of North and E ...
. In 2022, the Deputy Minister of Peshmerga, Sarbast Lazgin released a statement to the
Kurdistan 24 Kurdistan 24 (K24) is a Kurdish broadcast news station based in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with foreign bureaus in Washington, DC. The service was launched on 31 October 2015. Noreldin Waisy is the founder and former general manager of Ku ...
channel, saying that "some of Iraq's PMF, the
Government of Syria The government of Syria takes place in a presidential system and is currently in a transitionary period under and led by a transitional government. The seat of the government is located in Damascus, Syria. On 8 December 2024, after the succe ...
, and the Lebanese Hezbollah are allied with PKK, they support each other and work together toward the same goals. This alliance has an open route all the way from Syria, through
Sinjar Sinjar (; , ) is a town in the Sinjar District of the Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq. It is located about five kilometers south of the Sinjar Mountains. Its population in 2013 was estimated at 88,023, and is predominantly Yazidi. History ...
,
Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...
,
Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...
, and to Iran, which is under control of PMF, The PKK has military bases near Chamchamal District,
Sulaymaniyah Governorate Sulaymaniyah Governorate (; ; ) or Sulaymaniyah Province is a Governorates of Iraq, governorate in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Its largest city is Sulaymaniyah. Halabja Governorate was formerly the Halabja District, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Hal ...
, from where they cooperate with the groups that launch rockets on Erbil, We, the KRG, have repeatedly called on the PKK to stop its armed operations in the Kurdistan Region." He also stated that the PKK fighting has no impact on Turkey, and all it does is drag the Turkish Army deeper into the Kurdistan Region. Jotiar Adil, the official spokesman of the Kurdistan Region, stated that "we ask all foreign military groups, including the PKK, to not drag the Kurdistan Region into any kind of conflicts or tensions, the PKK are the main reason that pushed Turkey to enter our territories in the Kurdistan Region. Therefore, we think the PKK should leave, we are not a side in this long-standing conflict and we have no plans to be on any side." A representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government to the
Iraqi Armed Forces The Iraqi Armed Forces are the military forces of the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. They consist of the Iraqi Army, Ground forces, the Iraqi Army Aviation Command, Army Aviation Command, the Iraqi Air Force, the Iraqi Air Defence Command, Air Defence ...
, Command General Abdul-Khaliq Talaat, stated that “Sinjar will not be stable as long as the PKK and the other outlawed armed militias stay there" and he called on the Iraqi government to work with the KRG in order to remove the PKK. On February 23, 2025, residents of the village of Guherz demanded both Turkey and the PKK to leave the village and all of Iraqi Kurdistan.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kurdistan Region-PKK conflict Conflicts in 1983 History of the Kurdistan Workers' Party Iraqi Kurdistan PKK Wars involving Turkey Wars involving the Peshmerga 20th-century conflicts 21st-century conflicts 1980s conflicts 1990s conflicts 2000s conflicts 2010s conflicts 2020s conflicts