PKK official Karayilan warns of escalating conflicts in Middle East, calls for dialogue over conflict

QANDIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq — Murat Karayilan, Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê, PKK) Executive Committee and leader of the Central Command of the People’s Defense Forces (Hêzên Parastina Gel, HPG), issued a stark warning during an interview on Sterk TV. He spoke extensively about the current political and military landscape in the Middle East, asserting that the region has become the epicenter of what he termed as a “Third World War”. Karayilan emphasized that the true resolution to the region’s crises lies not in warfare and destruction, but in dialogue and mutual respect among peoples.

Karayilan pointed out that the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, particularly in areas inhabited by Kurdish and Palestinian communities, are becoming battlefields for this global conflict. He criticized international media for focusing predominantly on the war in Gaza, while the suffering of other peoples in the region is being overlooked.

He also condemned the Turkish government’s strategy under President Erdogan, accusing it of instigating regional wars to further its own agenda. According to Karayilan, Erdogan is exploiting the vulnerabilities of regional powers to make deals that enable Turkey to expand its territorial control, with the ultimate aim of reviving the Ottoman Empire.

In related news, the HPG released a statement detailing their recent operations against the Turkish Army in northern Iraq. Between August 11 and 13, the HPG claimed to have killed six Turkish soldiers, injured two others, and inflicted damage on Turkish military assets, including two helicopters, spy cameras, and various weapons in the regions of Amdia, Qandil, Zap, Khakurka, and Ghari.