ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The armed wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is claiming the attackers who sabotaged a pipeline carrying Iraqi Kurdistan region oil to Turkey did not act under direct orders.
On July 29 the PKK’s armed wing (HPG) announced it had carried out a sabotage operation against the crude oil pipeline in the Sirnak-Cizre area near the Iraqi-Turkish border.
The HPG’s attack generated waves of negative responses and condemnation from Kurds worldwide and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq, which yesterday described the action as “an attempt to discredit Kurdish people in the Kurdistan Region.”
“The Baghdad budget impasse and ongoing fight against ISIS has impoverished the Kurdish people and KRG in Kurdistan. This oil pipeline is the only source of the livelihood of people in the Kurdistan region and more than 1.8 million refugees and IDPs in the region,” the KRG added.
However, Sunday the HPG issued a different statement denying having issued direct orders for the sabotage, and described the KRG statement as a “provocation.”
“The forces of the HPG do not have bad intentions towards the interests of South Kurdistan (the Kurdistan region) and you have to understand our sensitivity and responsibility in this regard. The statements of the leaders of South Kurdistan are not true and a provocation,” said the HPG statement.
“The units that carried out the sabotage did not know to whom the pipe belonged, therefore distortion of facts and misrepresentation for whatever reason does not help anyone,” continued the HPG statement.
On July 29 the PKK’s armed wing (HPG) announced it had carried out a sabotage operation against the crude oil pipeline in the Sirnak-Cizre area near the Iraqi-Turkish border.
The HPG’s attack generated waves of negative responses and condemnation from Kurds worldwide and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq, which yesterday described the action as “an attempt to discredit Kurdish people in the Kurdistan Region.”
“The Baghdad budget impasse and ongoing fight against ISIS has impoverished the Kurdish people and KRG in Kurdistan. This oil pipeline is the only source of the livelihood of people in the Kurdistan region and more than 1.8 million refugees and IDPs in the region,” the KRG added.
However, Sunday the HPG issued a different statement denying having issued direct orders for the sabotage, and described the KRG statement as a “provocation.”
“The forces of the HPG do not have bad intentions towards the interests of South Kurdistan (the Kurdistan region) and you have to understand our sensitivity and responsibility in this regard. The statements of the leaders of South Kurdistan are not true and a provocation,” said the HPG statement.
“The units that carried out the sabotage did not know to whom the pipe belonged, therefore distortion of facts and misrepresentation for whatever reason does not help anyone,” continued the HPG statement.
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