Sulaymaniyah International Airport in Kurdistan Region of Iraq under a Turkish attack; condemnations and demands to end Turkish violations

SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq — Yesterday, the Sulaymaniyah International Airport in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) was subjected to a Turkish attack, without casualties, Iraqi News Outlets reported.

While the explosion at 04:18 P.M., near the fences of the airport started a fire, firefighting teams have quickly taken it under control.

The Presidency of the Republic of Iraq condemned the recent Turkish attack, calling on the Turkish government to take responsibility, make an official apology, stop such attacks and solve internal issues by dialogue with the concerned parties.

“In the event of the recurrence of these attacks, there will be a firm stance to prevent their recurrence in the future,” read the Presidency statement.

The Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA) of North and East Syria condemned the aggressive attack on Sulaymaniyah Airport, indicating that it expresses Turkey’s desire to provoke the political forces and use it in favor of head of the Turkish regime Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the upcoming elections.

The DAA indicated that this attack must be confronted with firm stances by all Iraqi forces, because it not only targeted the region, but is rather a clear policy against the KRI and Iraqi sovereignty.

Several Iraqi and Kurdish political forces condemned the attack, including head of the Fatah Alliance, Hadi al-Amiri, who described the attack as a flagrant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and a blatant violation that should not be tolerated under any pretext.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan bloc issued a statement, in which it called on the Iraqi parliament and government not to remain silent about these violations of Iraq’s sovereignty, and called on the United Nations and the International Aviation Organization to protect Sulaymaniyah International Airport.

First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Mohsen Al-Mandalawi also condemned the attack. The Babylon Movement confirmed that the Sulaymaniyah Airport attack is an attempt to destabilize security and stability.

Speaker of the KRI Parliament Rewaz Fayek said that there is no pretext for targeting a civilian airport, and all other previous attacks are illegal.

The Governor of Sulaymaniyah Haval Abu Bakr issued a statement, in which he confirmed that the Sulaymaniyah International Airport attack did not result in any casualties or material losses, and called on everyone to coordinate to prevent such incidents.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in turn, denied that the SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi was targeted during the Sulaymaniyah Airport attack, noting that the aim of publishing such news is political blackmail against some forces in the KRI.

Via Twitter, Abdi condemned the Turkish attack of Sulaymaniyah, indicating that these violations are continuing in Iraq and Syria and have dangerous dimensions against the region.

“The attack took place due to the supporting stance of the National Patriotic Union for brothers in Syria, which disturbed Turkey,” Abdi stated, indicating that they are continuing their principled relations with their brothers and allies in Sulaymaniyah.

ندين بشدة استهداف مطار السليمانية من قبل تركيا، هذه الانتهاكات مستمرة في العراق وسوريا ولها أبعاد خطيرة ضد المنطقة.
موقف الاتحاد الوطني القومي المساند لأشقائه في سوريا يزعج تركيا.
سنستمر في علاقاتنا المبدئية مع أشقائنا وحلفائنا في السليمانية وإننا في صف واحد ضد هذه الانتهاكات. https://t.co/C5bf5kbHHT

— Mazloum Abdî مظلوم عبدي (@MazloumAbdi) April 8, 2023