ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal), the second biggest Islamic party in the Kurdistan Region, announced on Thursday that it has postponed its upcoming party congress due to escalating regional tensions. “Considering the current situation in the region and the tensions that exist, after consulting with the election commissions, we decided to postpone the congress to an appropriate and calm time,” Komal said in a statement. The move comes amid heightened regional instability following Israel’s large-scale airstrikes on Iran last Friday, which killed several senior military commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran has since responded with multiple waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli territory, and the conflict shows no sign of de-escalating. The potential US intervention is expected to escalate the conflict to a new level. Bestoon Hamasalih, head of Komal’s election office, told Rudaw that the decision followed internal consultations, and the party is now coordinating with the federal Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to determine a new date. The congress was initially set to be held on Sunday and Monday. Komal won three seats in the Kurdistan Region’s October elections, which it has repeatedly described as rigged, refusing to recognize the current parliament’s legitimacy. The legislature has only convened once, in December.
