‘You are not alone’: Turkey’s Kurdish leader tells President Barzani

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The co-chair of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) spoke by phone with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, expressing solidarity with the Region amid attacks by Iran and its affiliated groups.

“You are not alone. Our eyes and ears are on you. We condemn these attacks against the Kurdistan Region,” Tuncer Bakirhan told President Barzani during the phone call, according to a statement from the DEM Party. 

Iran and its proxies in Iraq have carried out dozens of drone, rocket and missile attacks on Erbil International Airport, US consulate general, energy infrastructure and civilian sites since US and Israel launched an aerial campaign against Tehran on February 28. 

Some Kurdish leaders warned on Sunday that they will no longer tolerate the attacks, calling on Baghdad to take “serious” steps to stop them.

During the call, Bakirhan “strongly condemned” the attacks on the Kurdistan Region. He also expressed condolences to the family of a member of Erbil airport’s security force, who was killed in a drone strike on the airport on Sunday. 

The Kurdistan Region Presidency has not commented on the phone call. 

Kurdistan Region leaders, particularly President Barzani, have been engaged in diplomatic efforts to prevent the Region from being dragged into the conflict.