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Kurdistan
PUK spokesperson Lateef Sheikh Omer speaks at a press conference in Erbil, September 19, 2019. Photo: Rudaw TV
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A prominent member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) politburo was denied entry to Erbil on Thursday at a checkpoint controlled by security forces tied to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the party claimed.
Mahmoud Sangawi was reportedly turned away at the internal border separating KDP-controlled Erbil province and PUK-controlled Sulaimani.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Interior says it is looking into the incident.
Relations between the two biggest Kurdish parties have long been strained ever since they fought a brief civil war in the 1990s, but had seen notable improvement in recent years. The old rivalries often surface nevertheless.
Sangawi, who is also the top military commander on the Peshmerga’s Garmiyan Front, was denied entry into the Kurdistan Region capital at a KDP checkpoint in the Smaquli valley.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Lateef Sheikh Omer, the PUK spokesperson, slammed the decision to bar Sangawi’s entry, saying the PUK will not allow Erbil to be monopolized by one party.
“This is an illegal act for which the Kurdistan Regional Government is responsible considering the fact that it is the legal executive [authority] in this country,” said PUK spokesperson said.
The KDP is yet to issue a statement of its own.
Thousands of Peshmerga and civilians were killed in the civil war between the two parties, which resulted in a deep territorial split in the Region.
One zone, which includes Erbil and Duhok, is ruled by the KDP, while Sulaimani, Garmiyan, Ranya, and other eastern areas are ruled by the PUK.
Between the two zones are several checkpoints manned by each party’s respective Asayesh (security) forces. In Smaquli valley, just one kilometer separates the KDP checkpoint from the PUK’s.
Omer said blocking Sangawi was “unacceptable” and violated the principals of free movement. He warned the move risks damaging relations between the parties, which today rule the Region in partnership.
“This is also an affront to all the agreements we have had and all the norms tying us to each other,” he added.
“I hope no individual or political party accepts the mindset that wants to divide Kurdistan and monopolize the capital. We as the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan will surely not be able to accept this.”
The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Interior, which is legally responsible for the Region’s checkpoints and internal security forces, issued a statement on Thursday claiming it had not made any “decision or recommendation” to bar Sangawi’s entry, calling it an “unfortunate incident”.
“To relieve the concerns of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s politburo and prevent the reoccurrence of such events, we will undertake a detailed investigation, and we assure the people of Kurdistan that all of our efforts on roads are to ensure the security and safety of the people,” the ministry said.
An eyewitness who asked not to be identified told Rudaw the PUK checkpoint in Smaquli valley has been reinforced with several dozen special forces personnel.
It is not clear whether the officers, who are in full combat gear, are PUK Counterterrorism Forces or Asayesh special forces. Around 50 officers are thought to be at the checkpoint, the eyewitness said, when there are usually around half a dozen.
The officers are inspecting every vehicle passing through the checkpoint, the eyewitness added.
Neither the PUK nor the Ministry of Interior disclosed why Sangawi was prevented from entering Erbil. However, it is possible the incident is connected to a political spat involving the KDP’s leader Masoud Barzani.
Speaking at a PUK event in mid-June this year, while the two parties were locked in government formation talks and a dispute over who should govern Kirkuk, Sangawi referred to Barzani as a “small man” and accused him of appointing Baathist collaborators to top military posts.
“Mr. Masoud is so shameless that he considers himself bigger than the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. However, he is very small,” Sangawi said.
Sangawi’s comments against Barzani did not go down well with KDP supporters, and Barzani’s media office did not mince its words when it fired back on June 18.
“Mahmoud Sangawi’s words, which were the lowest and cheapest, aren’t worthy of a reply because the history and acts of this individual, who is a mafia, pillager, and killer is known and is not to be responded to,” Barzani Headquarters said.
Barzani then slammed the PUK for not rebuking its own politburo members.
The two parties engaged in similar tit-for-tat in January when the KDP arrested six PUK members in Erbil in response to the PUK’s arrest of a prominent KDP member in its own areas.
Control of checkpoints is a favorite means of pressuring political rivals in the Kurdistan Region. The most notorious case was in 2015 when the KDP prevented members of the Change Movement (Gorran) opposition from entering Erbil to attend an important session of parliament.
Then-parliamentary speaker Yousif Mohammed and several Gorran ministers were turned away, provoking a bitter political crisis.
Mahmoud Sangawi was reportedly turned away at the internal border separating KDP-controlled Erbil province and PUK-controlled Sulaimani.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Interior says it is looking into the incident.
Relations between the two biggest Kurdish parties have long been strained ever since they fought a brief civil war in the 1990s, but had seen notable improvement in recent years. The old rivalries often surface nevertheless.
Sangawi, who is also the top military commander on the Peshmerga’s Garmiyan Front, was denied entry into the Kurdistan Region capital at a KDP checkpoint in the Smaquli valley.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Lateef Sheikh Omer, the PUK spokesperson, slammed the decision to bar Sangawi’s entry, saying the PUK will not allow Erbil to be monopolized by one party.
“This is an illegal act for which the Kurdistan Regional Government is responsible considering the fact that it is the legal executive [authority] in this country,” said PUK spokesperson said.
The KDP is yet to issue a statement of its own.
Thousands of Peshmerga and civilians were killed in the civil war between the two parties, which resulted in a deep territorial split in the Region.
One zone, which includes Erbil and Duhok, is ruled by the KDP, while Sulaimani, Garmiyan, Ranya, and other eastern areas are ruled by the PUK.
Between the two zones are several checkpoints manned by each party’s respective Asayesh (security) forces. In Smaquli valley, just one kilometer separates the KDP checkpoint from the PUK’s.
Omer said blocking Sangawi was “unacceptable” and violated the principals of free movement. He warned the move risks damaging relations between the parties, which today rule the Region in partnership.
“This is also an affront to all the agreements we have had and all the norms tying us to each other,” he added.
“I hope no individual or political party accepts the mindset that wants to divide Kurdistan and monopolize the capital. We as the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan will surely not be able to accept this.”
The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Interior, which is legally responsible for the Region’s checkpoints and internal security forces, issued a statement on Thursday claiming it had not made any “decision or recommendation” to bar Sangawi’s entry, calling it an “unfortunate incident”.
“To relieve the concerns of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s politburo and prevent the reoccurrence of such events, we will undertake a detailed investigation, and we assure the people of Kurdistan that all of our efforts on roads are to ensure the security and safety of the people,” the ministry said.
An eyewitness who asked not to be identified told Rudaw the PUK checkpoint in Smaquli valley has been reinforced with several dozen special forces personnel.
It is not clear whether the officers, who are in full combat gear, are PUK Counterterrorism Forces or Asayesh special forces. Around 50 officers are thought to be at the checkpoint, the eyewitness said, when there are usually around half a dozen.
The officers are inspecting every vehicle passing through the checkpoint, the eyewitness added.
Neither the PUK nor the Ministry of Interior disclosed why Sangawi was prevented from entering Erbil. However, it is possible the incident is connected to a political spat involving the KDP’s leader Masoud Barzani.
Speaking at a PUK event in mid-June this year, while the two parties were locked in government formation talks and a dispute over who should govern Kirkuk, Sangawi referred to Barzani as a “small man” and accused him of appointing Baathist collaborators to top military posts.
“Mr. Masoud is so shameless that he considers himself bigger than the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. However, he is very small,” Sangawi said.
Sangawi’s comments against Barzani did not go down well with KDP supporters, and Barzani’s media office did not mince its words when it fired back on June 18.
“Mahmoud Sangawi’s words, which were the lowest and cheapest, aren’t worthy of a reply because the history and acts of this individual, who is a mafia, pillager, and killer is known and is not to be responded to,” Barzani Headquarters said.
Barzani then slammed the PUK for not rebuking its own politburo members.
The two parties engaged in similar tit-for-tat in January when the KDP arrested six PUK members in Erbil in response to the PUK’s arrest of a prominent KDP member in its own areas.
Control of checkpoints is a favorite means of pressuring political rivals in the Kurdistan Region. The most notorious case was in 2015 when the KDP prevented members of the Change Movement (Gorran) opposition from entering Erbil to attend an important session of parliament.
Then-parliamentary speaker Yousif Mohammed and several Gorran ministers were turned away, provoking a bitter political crisis.
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