The organization is banned in Iraq.. Baghdad decides the fate of the Workers’ Party after 40 years o

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[size=52]The organization is banned in Iraq.. Baghdad decides the fate of the Workers’ Party after 40 years of war[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad/ Tamim Al-Hassan[/size]
[size=45]For the first time since the escalation of the Turkey-Workers’ Party crisis in Iraq about 10 years ago, Baghdad describes the party opposing Ankara as “banned in Iraq.”[/size]
[size=45]With this description, Baghdad appears to be close to implementing the Turkish condition to begin dialogue on several files, most notably the “water blockade” that Turkey has imposed on Iraq for several years. Turkey has asked, more than once, that Iraq recognize the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known by its abbreviation as “PKK,” as a “terrorist organization.”[/size]
[size=45]In light of these developments, Baghdad may repeat the scenario of the recent Iranian agreement, but with Turkey this time, to keep the opposition away from the borders.[/size]
[size=45]The new version of the agreement - if it happens - differs in that Baghdad will deal with fighters (opposed to Ankara) involved with factions inside the country, and Tehran will be present in both versions.[/size]
[size=45]Baghdad agreed with Ankara, in discussions that took place in the Iraqi capital over the last weekend, to form joint security and economic committees.[/size]
[size=45]Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Baghdad last Thursday, accompanied by Turkish ministers and security officials, and met with Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and the head of the PMF, Faleh al-Fayyad.[/size]
[size=45]These events come with the possibility of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visiting Baghdad next month, after canceling a visit that was expected last year.[/size]
[size=45]This visit also coincides with Turkey's announcement of the imminent implementation of the largest military campaign in Iraq, and the establishment of a buffer zone in Kurdistan extending for 40 km.[/size]
[size=45]turning point[/size]
[size=45]The most prominent thing stated in the Iraqi-Turkish statement in the latest round of dialogue that took place last Friday is that “the PKK organization represents a security threat to both Turkey and Iraq, and it is certain that the presence of this organization on Iraqi territory represents a violation of the Iraqi constitution.” According to the statement published by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, Turkey welcomed “the decision taken by the Iraqi National Security Council to consider the PKK a banned organization in Iraq.”[/size]
[size=45]This is the first time that Baghdad describes the Workers’ Party as a “banned” organization, while last year, Erdogan demanded that Baghdad consider the party a “terrorist organization.”[/size]
[size=45]Over the past years, the Turkish army has not ceased bombing and pursuing the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is deployed on the Iraqi border and in the Sinjar region.[/size]
[size=45]According to estimates by non-governmental organizations, the Turkish attacks claimed the lives of at least 129 civilians in northern Iraq and injured 180 others, from 2015 until July 2022.[/size]
[size=45]Erdogan said in a joint conference with Muhammad al-Sudani, the Prime Minister, during his first visit to Ankara in 2023: “We expect our Iraqi brothers to classify the Kurdistan Workers’ Party as a terrorist organization and rid their lands of this bloody terrorist organization.” Erdogan appeared as if he was trying to replace the “month of water” that he promised the Iraqi government at the time regarding Tigris water releases, in exchange for Baghdad declaring the Kurdistan Workers’ Party a terrorist organization.[/size]
[size=45]Then, after thanking Ankara for “one month to release water,” the Sudanese contented himself with refusing to “use his lands to attack neighboring countries, or any infringement on Iraqi sovereignty,” according to what the official agency quoted him as saying.[/size]
[size=45]Iraq's share of water decreased by about 70% due to the policies of neighboring countries, including Turkey, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.[/size]
[size=45]The water issue, in addition to the Turkish ground operations and bombing of Kurdistan villages under the pretext of pursuing the PKK, had prompted factions to threaten Ankara before the Shiite coalition took power at the end of 2022. Turkey deploys about 7,000 soldiers and officers penetrating up to 100 km deep into Iraqi territory. They have 11 military bases and 19 camps in Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]According to some information, “Baghdad is now trying to conclude a deal with Turkey similar to the one concluded with Iran last year, representing peace in exchange for the expulsion of opponents.” The recent joint Iraqi Foreign Ministry statement with Turkey said: “The two sides consulted on the measures to be taken against the organization (referring to the Workers’ Party) and its banned extensions that target Turkey through the use of Iraqi lands.”[/size]
[size=45]The replication of the Iranian agreement with Turkey was hampered by a “veto from Tehran,” which supports the Labor Party, according to some sources, and also controls Sinjar, north of Mosul.[/size]
[size=45]According to leaks reaching Al-Mada, the agreement with Turkey may include a condition from Iran that “the situation remain as it is in Sinjar” and the removal of PKK militants from Mount Qandil.[/size]
[size=45]Control of Iran and the factions[/size]
[size=45]A former official in Sinjar close to the Workers’ Party told Al-Mada that in the last 40 years, the Workers’ Party has attracted elements of multiple nationalities, including what is known as the “Yabsha.”[/size]
[size=45]The “Yabsha” have been running Sinjar district since 2018 and have also participated in fighting ISIS. He added: “The Al-Yabsha, which are the Sinjar resistance units, are affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces and receive salaries from the Authority.”[/size]
[size=45]Turkey has launched military operations against PKK fighters inside and outside the Turkish borders since 1983 to pursue the PKK.[/size]
[size=45]The former official says, “The ideology of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party belongs to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.”[/size]
[size=45]In 2020, Baghdad concluded an agreement with Kurdistan, which was described as “historic” to normalize the situation in Sinjar, but it was disrupted due to the militants’ refusal to leave the city. A week ago, Asaib leader Qais Khazali commented on the Sinjar agreement, saying: “It occurred in the Al-Kadhimi government and was legally proven to be inapplicable.”[/size]
[size=45]One year after the agreement faltered, the PMF sent 3 brigades to Sinjar, under the pretext of repelling an attack that Ankara threatened at the time to storm the city.[/size]
[size=45]The number of armed men in the city in 2021 reached about “10,000 armed men,” according to Majid Shinkali, a representative for Sinjar.[/size]
[size=45]The sources say, “Tehran will not allow the Iraq agreement with Turkey to go away because it still controls Sinjar, and it has not yet been reassured by Baghdad’s measures regarding the Iranian opposition.”[/size]
[size=45]Last year, Baghdad announced the removal of Iranian opposition militants from the border, but Iran still wants to “receive wanted persons” and expel the rest out of Iraq.[/size]
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