Protesters in Erbil call on UN to condemn Turkish offensive

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Hundreds of people gathered in front of the United Nations (UN) office in the Kurdistan Region’s capital city of Erbil on Tuesday, calling on the organization to condemn Turkey’s latest military operation in the Region. 

Turkey launched a fresh military campaign, dubbed Operation Claw-Lock, in Duhok province’s mountainous areas last week, targeting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) positions. Turkish officials later said that they plan to end the group’s access to the Kurdistan Region and Iraq’s borders with Turkey. The operation has been condemned by the Iraqi government. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has not expressed its position on the offensive. 

Hundreds of people, including politicians and lawmakers, held a protest in front of the UN office in Erbil. They called for an end to the Turkish “invasion,” and expressed their hope that the UN would condemn it. 

A protester told Rudaw’s Bahroz Faraidun that they condemn the Turkish offensive and call on Erbil and Baghdad to speak up against it.

“No to the Turkish invasion, no to the war against Kurds,” read a sign held by a protester. 

Neither the UN nor the United States have commented on the offensive.

Ali Hama Saleh, a member of Kurdistan Parliament, told Rudaw that he joined the protest as an ordinary citizen rather than as an MP, because “they [political parties] have disabled the parliament. There is nothing called parliament. Despite Turkey’s offensive - in which Turkey has a worse intention - all three presidencies of Kurdistan, especially the parliament, which directly represents people, have been silent. All political parties have not condemned the offensive as well.” 

Saleh added that a number of MPs have asked the Kurdistan Parliament to summon the relevant government officials regarding the offensive, but that their request has not been approved. 

Similar protests were held in Sulaimani city last week, condemning the offensive 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed last week that the Iraqi government and the KRG coordinated with Ankara for the operation, but both Baghdad and the Peshmerga ministry denied this hours later. However, the KRG itself has not commented on the claim.