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Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, told reporters on 20 April during a conference in Baghdad that Kurdish armed groups in Iraq most notably the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) exploited the countrys lack of security following the 2003 US invasion in order to establish bases and launch attacks from the border.

The situation that Iraq faced since 2003 our fight against terror led us to lose focus and control of our borders and armed groups exploited this situation and began to threaten the security of neighboring countries, especially Turkiye, Sudani said.

Sudani condemned the PKK, but also denounced Turkish strikes against Kurdish positions in Iraq, which the prime minister deemed a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.

These events that happen are definitely a violation of sovereignty, and we cannot give it any excuse, he added.

The Turkish state and the PKK have been sworn foes for decades. Conceived as a political organization in Turkiye in the late 1970s, the groups armed wing was formed not long after and has been engaged in guerilla warfare against Ankara since. In the 1980s, the PKK launched an armed insurrection in southwest Turkiye.

Outlawed in Turkiye, the PKK operates illegally southwest of the country, as well as in northern Iraq and Syria, through its Syrian branch, the YPG, which is military aligned with the US-backed Kurdish militia, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Ankara regularly targets the SDF in Syria, and its troops are currently occupying the country under the pretext of securing the Turkish border.

For years, Kurdish militias have also threatened the security of Iran from Iraqi territory, most notably the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), which has been active for decades and operates in exile in areas of northern Iraq. KDPI was the driving force behind the 1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran and was supported by Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war. It also played a role in anti-government riots in Iran last year.

As a result of this Kurdish presence near the Iranian border, Iran has launched operations and strikes against KDPI positions in Iraq which Baghdad has also condemned.

In Iraq, Turkish strikes against the PKK have regularly resulted in civilian deaths.

When asked by a reporter if Iraq would officially designate the PKK as a terrorist organization, Sudani said that it depends on legal contexts.

The Kurdistan Workers Party has existed since the [19]80s in bases, and they have [Iraqi] identity cards in the interior ministry. We are supposed to maintain our borders, not have them turned into bases and used for armed activities. This falls in line with terrorist activities that threaten the security of citizens and neighboring countries, the prime minister said.

The PKK recently vowed to refrain from military action against Turkiye until after the Turkish election.

Excerpt from:
PKK exploited US invasion of Iraq to target Turkiye: Sudani - The Cradle