"The betrayal of Kirkuk took place in the days before October 16,” Lahur Talabany told Gali Kurdistan, a channel with ties to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
He put the blame for the loss of the disputed province on “the people who held an unfounded referendum… At a time when the whole world told us not to hold a referendum in the disputed territories, they didn't listen.”
The September 25 independence vote had the support of most of the political parties and the regional parliament. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by then KRG president Masoud Barzani, was its greatest champion.
Talabany said they had thought the organizers of the referendum had obtained international backing secretly, but found out in the end that there hadn't been any such assurances. The referendum was almost completely universally opposed by the international community, even Kurdish allies.
Following the referendum, Iraq imposed a series of punitive measures against the Kurdistan Region and on October 16 Iraqi forces backed by Hashd al-Shaabi took control of the disputed territories, including Kirkuk.
The KDP has blamed PUK for the loss of Kirkuk. The party considers Kirkuk “occupied” under Iraqi control and has boycotted Iraqi parliamentary elections in the province.
Talabany lambasted parties who have "left Kirkuk" and its people, saying that boycotting elections there only serves the interests of Arabs and Turkmen.
"This is the greatest treason committed against Kirkukis," he declared.
Talabany defended the PUK’s “brave decision” to withdraw from Kirkuk and avoid a bloody street fight, calling it the logical choice.
"I would like to go back to October 16, the day when a heroic battle was fought. It reached the point when American tanks, controlled by Hashd al-Shaabi, rolled over the body of our Peshmerga. We gave more than 60 martyrs. PUK's forces gave more than 1,300 martyrs in Kirkuk for protecting Kirkuk. By what logic are they thinking that PUK can even think of betraying Kirkuk? If we were to commit a betrayal, we would have done that three years ago and not fought. "
Peshmerga took full control of Kirkuk in 2014 when Iraqi forces fled in the face of ISIS advances.
Talabany said the Peshmerga could have fought for Kirkuk, battling Iraqi forces in the city’s streets, “But tell me, wouldn't Kirkuk be as battered as Mosul by now? ... Kurdish neighborhoods would have been decimated. No Kurds would have remained and all would have been displaced. Kurds would have never ever set foot in Kirkuk again.”
“I think PUK did the most logical thing here,” he concluded.
The PUK has asked for an investigative committee to be formed to determine the events leading up to October 16. Talabany said he has personally spoken to the prime minister and deputy prime minister on the matter.
"Whoever is responsible should be put on trial. We will no longer tolerate the misleading campaign anymore,” he said, arguing that the election will reveal who the traitor was.
