PUK Spokesperson: We are Preparing for Elections, Not for Civil War

P.U.K 10:07 PM - 2024-07-01

PUK Spokesperson Saadi Ahmed Pire.

Saadi Ahmed Pire, Spokesperson of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), told a news conference in Erbil on Monday, July 1, 2024, that the PUK is preparing for elections, not for civil war.

The PUK Spokesperson said: "From late 2023 to early 2024, there were several fires in Erbil, Kirkuk, and Duhok. During my TV appearance, I called on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the governor, and the security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation.”

He added: "The PUK, our government team, and President Bafel vehemently condemned these incidents, especially following the fire of Erbil's Qaysari market, and labelled them as a deliberate disruption of security and stability, an issue of cutting off people's livelihoods, an issue of nullification, and an issue of violation of a matter because Erbil's Qaysari is a prominent hub for commerce and culture, contributing to the overall charm and identity of the city."

He further stated: "We all made an effort to conduct an investigation and discovered that people had been arrested. We received information from Iraqi intelligence that a man employed by the Counter-Terrorism Group (CTG) had been arrested. He admitted to receiving $800 for his involvement. That was about 8 to 9 months ago."

"The CTG revoked this individual's privileges and began collaborating with the Iraqi Intelligence Service to conduct an investigation into the matter," he continued, adding: "Today, the results were officially announced, and we heard the Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesperson discuss the perpetrators and the ongoing investigation. The spokesperson mentioned the name of a political party based on the statements of the arrested. However, he did not mention the names of CTG and Force 70."

The PUK Spokesperson added that once the speech was delivered in Kurdish by the representative of the KRG's Ministry of Interior, an anti-PUK campaign began, accusing the PUK and the CTG of certain actions.

"We are a prominent political force, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) is also a prominent political force. There are other prominent parties, so it is natural that some people may associate themselves as being one of us while they are mercenaries. Many people have fallen into awful situations and falsely claimed to be part of our party," Pire said.

"Currently, following all of these events, we are preparing for the elections' campaign, not for a civil war. What they are doing and what K24 is doing is a matter of civil war because the arrestee said he received $800; why don't you ask him who he received it from? He certainly didn't receive it from the PUK," he added.

He clarified: "We have an enormous amount of evidence, discussions, and responses from Erbil's local authorities. Occasionally, they attribute the incidents to a faulty solder joint, while at other times they attribute them to a short circuit. Ultimately, it reached Force 70."

"This perspective is unfavourable, and I want to confirm two specific points. The two individuals reportedly associated with CTG are identified as soldiers, not officers. The arrestee said that he received a payment of $800 and has been under investigation for the past eight months. All of his privileges have been revoked, and he has been terminated from his position. The other individual was associated with the PUK until 2018, which was six years ago, but is currently not associated with the PUK. According to the spokesperson of the Interior Ministry, the arrestees have been recruited, so they would not obey any commands from the PUK and would instead follow the orders of the party that recruited them," he added.

Moreover, Pire said: "I believe this situation is unfavourable. I previously stated that we were approached a few days ago to discuss the election, but we declined the offer because it was an attempt to postpone the elections and we did not want to delay them. Then I warned that we should be careful, as they might return with a scenario to undermine the collaborative environment and jeopardise the success of this election. I was referring to the current events."

"Their branch council elections—intraparty—are currently taking place. They are facing issues daily in Garmian, Ranya, Soran, and Duhok as they are fighting over how to hold elections among themselves," he added. 

"Would anyone desiring to hold elections -Kurdistan parliamentary elections- intentionally undermine their own unity like that? I believe this is one of the scenarios they present to intentionally disrupt the elections," he explained. 

"The PUK firmly denies these allegations targeting the PUK," he stated.

“Nothing has happened yet, and they have already begun accusing Wahab Halabjay and the CTG. They should at least wait for the investigation to be completed. They say the rule of law prevails, so then wait for the investigation to be completed. Türkiye's sanctions on Sulaymaniyah are also because of these false reports that are spreading here," he added.

“The KDP wants to create obstacles to holding the elections because it is afraid of the elections. There have been ups and downs in relations between the PUK and the KDP, but it has never been this way. This is a new development. We as the PUK have forbidden civil war,” the PUK Spokesperson said.

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