Iraqi government condemns KDP office attack, announces arrests

Zhelwan Z. Wali

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraq's government has "condemned" the attack on the Kurdistan Democratic Party's (KDP) office in Baghdad on Saturday morning by supporters of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF or Hashd al-Shaabi), and announced over a dozen related arrests.

Condemnation of the attack came at an emergency session of the Security Council headed by Prime Minister of Iraq Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

"The Council discussed the attack on the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Baghdad by a group of demonstrators... who resorted to violence by setting fire to the building," read an Iraqi Prime Minister's Office statement released after the meeting.

"The Council condemned this act and decided to open an investigation into the incident," the statement said.

Fifteen people have been arrested in connection to the attack on the office, the statement added.

Supporters of the PMF protested on Saturday morning in front of the offices of the KDP, the Kurdistan Region’s ruling party, following critical comments by senior KDP official Hoshyar Zebari about the militia network.

Protesters set the building alight, burned the flag of the Kurdistan Region, and stepped on photographs of KDP leader Masoud Barzani.

Kurdistan Region officials including President Nechirvan Barzani condemned Saturday's attack and called on the Iraqi government to launch an investigation and undertake arrests.

Two hours before the Prime Minister's office announced the outcomes of the Council's meeting, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani announced that he and Kadhimi had spoken of the incident on the phone.

"I have spoken to PM @MAKadhimi and called for an immediate investigation and for the outlaws responsible to be held to account," PM Barzani said on Twitter. 

The government also said it would assess "the role of the security forces responsible for protecting the building and its surroundings", according to the statement, and "does not tolerate any breach of the security" in Iraq.