Iraq took another step against the PKK, a terrorist group that claimed thousands of lives in its northern neighbor Türkiye. According to local media reports, the Iraqi government issued a directive for state institutions to refer to the PKK as a "banned organization" in official correspondence.
An official letter sent to the Iraqi Parliament included new instructions from Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al Sudani regarding the PKK. Al Sudani directed that the term "banned organization" be used in all official institutional correspondence when referring to the group.
In its nearly 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
Since Turkish operations have driven its domestic presence to near extinction, the PKK has moved a large chunk of its operations to northern Iraq, including a stronghold in the Qandil Mountains, located roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the Turkish border in Irbil.
The PKK is not designated a terrorist organization in Iraq but is banned from launching operations against Türkiye from Iraqi territory. It nevertheless has a foothold in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous north controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), where the central Iraqi government has little influence.
Türkiye's cross-border operations into northern Iraq have been a source of tension with its southeastern neighbor for years. Ankara has asked Iraq for more cooperation in combating the PKK. As a result, Baghdad labeled the group a banned organization in March and set up two military bases in the Zakho region in April.
